US Ambassador Earl R. Miller traveled to Sylhet on October 21-23 in support of the growing partnership between the United States and Bangladesh and country’s strategic importance to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, says a press release. Ambassador Miller toured Chevron’s Bibiyana Gas Plant and met Chevron Bangladesh President Neil Menzies to discuss about US-Bangladesh trade and investment issues.
During the tour of the Bibiyana Plant, the USA Ambassador learned how Chevron, through its subsidiaries in Bangladesh, contributes to the Indo-Pacific Strategy’s economic and security pillars by promoting Bangladeshi energy independence. He congratulated Chevron on being the largest producer of natural gas in the country, accounting for over 55% of total domestic production.
He also applauded Chevron Bangladesh’s commitment to hire Bangladeshi nationals, roughly 95% of its workforce, and its corporate social responsibility programmes benefitting the local communities where it operates through economic development, education, and health initiatives.
Ambassador Miller attended a dinner with the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI). During the dinner, Ambassador Miller joined the SCCI Board of Directors and prominent members of the Sylhet business community in a robust discussion about how to increase free, fair, and reciprocal trade between the United States and Bangladesh, and ways the two countries can work together to open more Bangladeshi sectors to trade and investment with U.S. firms.
He also met with Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Mustafizur Rahman and Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Kazi Emdadul Islam to discuss about human trafficking in the northeastern Sylhet region. He reiterated that working with Bangladesh to counter human trafficking and to increase access to services for survivors of trafficking is a top priority for the U.S. government.
While in Sylhet, Ambassador Miller visited the retarget Special Biodiversity Conservation Area (SBCA) to observe how U.S. contributions have helped strengthen Bangladesh’s capacity to respond to natural disasters and protect the environment. These and other USAID efforts to increase Bangladesh’s resilience to natural hazards will further U.S. and Bangladeshi environmental priorities in the region.
The U.S. vision for the Indo-Pacific region is a whole-of-government effort, conducted in close collaboration with nations in the region, including Bangladesh, to promote respect for national sovereignty, the rule of law, market-based economics, and free, fair, and reciprocal trade principles.
Ambassador Miller’s visit to Sylhet is one of many initiatives of the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh this year to promote greater cooperation, dialogue, and mutual understanding between Bangladeshis and Americans; and, underscores Bangladesh’s strategic importance to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
