US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor on Thursday held talks with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on strengthening bilateral ties, regional security and strategic cooperation as he began a three-day visit to Bangladesh.

The meeting, held at the state guest house Padma, included delegation-level talks followed by a 20-minute one-on-one discussion between Gor and the foreign minister, officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Diplomatic sources said the nearly hour-long discussions focused on the overall Bangladesh-US relationship, strategic partnership between Dhaka and Washington, regional security and broader global cooperation.

Gor arrived in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to visit Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar on Friday before meeting Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday.

Welcoming the envoy, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen said Gor's visit would further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries as well as cooperation on regional security and economic issues.

In a post on X, Gor said he was pleased to meet Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman during his first visit to Bangladesh and discuss ways to deepen bilateral relations.

"Much positive progress has been made," he wrote.

Diplomats view the visit as significant amid Bangladesh's heightened diplomatic engagement in recent months, including Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to China in June, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman's trip to Moscow and the visit of the Turkish foreign minister to Dhaka.

Gor is the third senior US official to visit Bangladesh since the BNP-led government took office in February. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Paul Kapur visited in March, followed by Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch in May.

Diplomatic sources said discussions during Gor's visit are expected to focus on Bangladesh's foreign policy priorities, its evolving strategic role in the region and the future direction of Dhaka-Washington relations. They added that the envoy could also convey the Trump administration's views on regional and bilateral issues during his meetings with Bangladesh's leadership.

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