A day after arriving in Dhaka, US Ambassador-designate to Bangladesh Brent Christensen on Tuesday visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handed over a copy of his credentials to Chief of Protocol Nural Islam.
During the visit, he also paid a brief courtesy call on Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam.
A senior ministry official said Christensen is well acquainted with Bangladesh, having previously served in Dhaka and worked as the Bangladesh desk officer at the US State Department about two decades ago.
“The ambassador-designate expressed his eagerness to work closely with the government to strengthen future engagement,” the official said, adding that Christensen is scheduled to formally present his credentials to President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Thursday.
The official also noted that Christensen plans to travel outside Dhaka during the election period and meet political leaders from across the political spectrum.
Christensen arrived in Dhaka on Monday. His swearing-in ceremony as US Ambassador to Bangladesh was held on Friday at the US State Department, attended by Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam, and other senior officials.
A career member of the US Senior Foreign Service, Christensen most recently served as the Senior Official performing the duties of Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
He has also worked as Foreign Policy Advisor to the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).
