US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Paul Kapur will arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday to discuss the future of Dhaka–Washington relations. This will be his first visit to Bangladesh since his appointment to the US State Department, taking over from Donald Lu. Prior to visiting Dhaka, he will stop in New Delhi.

During his visit, Paul Kapur will hold discussions with several senior ministers, political leaders, and representatives from the business community. Diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Washington have indicated that his three-day visit, via New Delhi, will cover both bilateral matters and broader geopolitical issues.

Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US embassy in Dhaka confirmed to Prothom Alo that Paul Kapur’s visit is scheduled from 3 to 5 March. Diplomatic analysts note that the visit carries particular significance, occurring less than a month after the national parliamentary elections.

In 2024, Donald Lu, then assistant secretary of state, had been sent to Dhaka amid fundamental disagreements with the then Awami League government over democracy and the electoral process. In November 2023, he had sent letters urging unconditional dialogue with major political parties, preceding the ‘one-sided’ election of 7 January 2024. This time, Bangladeshi officials were informed of Paul Kapur’s post-election visit earlier this month.