Bangladesh on Wednesday called on the United States to ease the process of returning its citizens, who had become irregular in the US, maintaining dignity of the returnees.  

Foreign minister Khalilur Rahman made the call when visiting US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia S Paul Kapur had met him at the foreign ministry in the morning.

Khalilur’s call comes at a time when the US has recently begun sending back Bangladeshi migrants with no valid documents by military aircrafts.

‘As the United States is sending back the migrants having no valid documents, we have urged the US authorities to ease the process of their deportation maintaining dignity of Bangladesh citizens,’ he told reporters after the meeting with the US official at his office.

About the trade deal signed with the US at the fag end of Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, requiring Bangladesh to import more goods from the US, the minister said that the agreement was finalised on July 31 last year and the heads of the two major political parties—Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami—were informed of the deal and they gave their consent.

‘The US Trade Representative had talked to our two major political parties before the election where they had their consent. So it is not like that we did it keeping all of them in dark,’ Khalilur claimed.

The agreement contained both ‘entry’ and ‘exit” clauses and would not become effective until formal notification, he added.

The Trump administration launched a crackdown on illegal migrants in June 2025 and since deported over 320 Bangladeshis , many of whom reported being handcuffed and shackled during the long plane journey by military aircrafts.

During the meeting, Bangladesh also called for an early resolution of the conflict in the Gulf region through dialogue to minimise loss life and prevent further destabilisation in the region.

‘We have discussed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East where I told him (Paul Kapur) that two of our Bangladeshis have lost lives and seven others have been injured. If this war is prolonged or spreads, this fear may increase further,’ foreign minister Khalilur told reporters at the foreign ministry.

He said that they had conveyed the Paul Kapur that the United States should make efforts to resolve the conflict through dialogue without further delay. 

The US official arrived at Dhaka on Tuesday night from New Delhi on a two-day visit amid the escalating tension across the Gulf states following a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran that killed more than 700 people, including the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, since February 28, triggering retaliatory strikes from Tehran on the US bases in particular in the region.

When his attention was drawn to the congratulatory letter of US president Donald Trump where he hoped decisive action to complete defence agreements, the foreign minister said that the defence matters were not discussed at the meeting.

‘Nothing regarding defence cooperation was discussed at the meeting,’ he said.

During the discussion, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations, including economic engagements, based on mutual respect and shared interests.

Khalilur emphasised the ‘Bangladesh First’ policy of the current government under the leadership of prime minister Tarique Rahman.

He further highlighted Bangladesh’s approach to maintaining robust relations with regional and global partners to promote national interests and shared prosperity, according to a press release of the ministry issued later on the day.

US assistant secretary Paul Kapur expressed happiness at the peaceful, free and festive general election in Bangladesh and felicitated the new government led by prime minister Tarique Rahman on the assumption of its responsibilities, Khalil said.

Paul Kapur also underscored the importance of implementing the provisions of the agreement on Reciprocal Trade to foster greater bilateral trade and investment.

The foreign minister reiterated his government’s commitment to policy continuity, particularly in the economic domain.

Khalilur thanked the US for its continued humanitarian support for the Rohingyas and sought sustained international support for a durable solution to the crisis.

Both sides expressed optimism that regular high-level engagements and institutional dialogues would continue to deepen Bangladesh-US relations in the years ahead.

Before the meeting, Paul Kapur had a brief meeting with state minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam.