Staff Reporter:
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has stated that security measures in the Diplomatic areas, including the United States embassy have been strengthened in view of the ongoing global situation.
The minister made these remarks during a courtesy call by the US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Brent T. Christensen, at his office in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat here this morn-ing, according to a press release of the ministry.
He noted that in addition to regular police forces, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been deployed to reinforce security in the Diplomatic Area.
Furthermore, law enforcement agencies have been directed to maintain high alert and take necessary pre-cautionary measures.
During the meeting, both sides discussed various issues of mutual interest, including law and order, secu-rity cooperation, curbing illegal migration, counter-terrorism, the SPEAR program for enhancing dip-lomatic security, and the implementation of Electronic Nationality Verification (ENV).
Welcoming the Ambassador at the beginning of the meeting, the Minister described the United States as a close ally of Bangladesh, noting that the US has been a steadfast partner in security and counter-terrorism efforts since the beginning.
During the discussion, the Ambassador stated that the United States is keen on strengthening its bilateral relations with Bangladesh.
Ambassador Christensen emphasized that the US is keen to implement the “Special Programme for Em-bassy Augmentation and Response (SPEAR)” to consolidate security for the US Embassy and the entire Diplomatic area in Dhaka.
He stressed the need for a swift signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), noting that other-wise, the dedicated US funding might be diverted elsewhere.
In response, the minister expressed the government’s commitment to the quick implementation of the program, following approval from the highest levels of the government.
The Ambassador also congratulated the Minister on his new portfolio.
Regarding illegal migration, the envoy stated that the US intends to implement the ‘Electronic Nationali-ty Verification (ENV)’ program in Bangladesh. Successful implementation would place Bangladesh in the “Green Zone” regarding US immigration.
