Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the Bangladesh government, met with the President of the United States Joe Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York on Tuesday. It has been reported that Biden has offered full support to the interim government of Bangladesh.
A White House statement read, At the meeting, President Biden congratulated Yunus on his recent appointment as the head of the interim government. The two leaders affirmed the “close partnership” between the United States and Bangladesh, which is rooted in shared democratic values and strong people-to-people ties.
Yunus’ meeting with the US president is being touted as a historic ocassion, as it is the first time in 50 years that the US president met the head of the Bangladesh government on the sidelines of UNGA. During the meeting, the Bangladesh leader also apprised President Biden on how the protesting students rose against the tyranny of the previous government and gave their lives to create this opportunity to rebuild Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Yunus also met with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, to request for more visas for bangladeshi nationals and students. He also met up with the World Bank President Ajay Banga and Mauritius President Prithvirajsingh Roopun on the sidelines of the UNGA.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of an interim government in early august, after Sheikh Hasina fled the country and the parliament was dissolved. Yunus an economist, flew in from the United States to take charge. Since then the country has been mired by violent clashes and radical mobs running rampant.
So far, it has been heavily speculated on who exactly holds the reins in the country. The Bangladesh army seem to be playing a significant role in the background propping up the Yunus regime, while the Islamic Jamat has its own objectives and strong presence on the ground. This visit and the surprising bonhomie with the United States will definitely reignite the conspiracies of the US’ role in the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina government. Earlier Hasina herself had indicated the involvement of the United States in orchestrating a regime change against her elected government.
