United States assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia S Paul Kapur on Thursday met with a delegation from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and discussed areas of bilateral interest.

The three key issues discussed included diplomatic relations, foreign policy, and economic ties between Bangladesh and the United States.

The meeting, held at the US ambassador’s residence in Gulshan, Dhaka, also focused on strengthening ties, reviewing the new government’s policies, and exploring future avenues for  cooperation, said BNP delegation head and party standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Moyeen Khan said that the US had always been a friendly nation to Bangladesh and had supported the country in various ways in the past.

He said that it was natural for the US officials to visit Bangladesh, with a new government in place, to understand Bangladesh’s policies, and discuss future initiatives, as well as its relationships with other countries, particularly with the United States.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of the opposition in the Jatiya Sangsad, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami met Paul Kapur also at the US ambassador’s residence.

The delegation was led by the party’s nayeb-e-amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher.

The US official arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday night from New Delhi on a two-day visit.