DHAKA, Sept 19, 2023 (BSS) - US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet has met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on the sidelines of the 78th United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York. 

Derek Chollet disclosed about the meeting, held on Monday, in a tweet on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

"We discussed our cooperation on economic development and climate change and the importance of protecting freedom of expression and democracy," Chollet tweeted after the meeting.

Later, at a press briefing in New York, Dr Momen said that Bangladesh has very warm relations with the US.  

"US President Joe Biden wants to further strengthen and bolster this relationship," he said. 

Mentioning that a friend can give advice to another friend, Momen said, "We've accepted many of their advice. If the advice is objective, we'll definitely accept those". 

Chollet visited Dhaka in February this year and met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the foreign minister, senior government officials, civil society members and representatives from humanitarian organisations.

During those meetings, Chollet reiterated continued US support to Bangladesh in addressing the Rohingya crisis and also emphasised the importance of free and fair elections and the protection of human rights in the country, cooperation to mitigate climate change, and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.