BartaBangla Desk :: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday urged Bangladesh government for quick passage of labour law amendment.
He also stressed the need for rapid progress on fire and building safety inspection issues.
Kerry made the call during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni in Washington DC, according to a media note issued by the US Department of State.
During the meeting, Kerry expressed condolence over the Rana Plaza collapse tragedy which cost 1,127 lives.
Kerry also noted that the importance of the war crimes trials in the International Crimes Tribunal is being conducted in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with international standard.
He highlighted the strong cooperation between the two countries on a broad range of issues and welcomes the second annual Partnership Dialogue that will take place in Dhaka next week, including a Private Sector Forum to further enhance strong bilateral trade relation with Bangladesh.
Kerry expressed gratitude as Bangladesh did not get the worst of the tropical storm Mahasen.
“We are prepared to be as helpful as we can in any way that we can in order to relieve the suffering of people,” he said.
He further said: “We also appreciate the difficulties you (Bangladesh) face with the issue of the Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya is really a problem that comes from Myanmar. And the problem is that maybe 30,000 or more are registered refugees in Bangladesh.”
“And it creates tensions, and it’s a difficult issue.”
The Bangladesh minister said she believes that the US-Bangladesh relationship is at its best now.
“And we’re looking forward to more cooperation in all areas of our common concern, both bilaterally and also at the multinational level,” she said.