Gor's Boeing remarks may have referred to earlier deal, says Shama Obaed

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam today (1 September) said US Special Envoy Sergio Gor's remarks about Bangladesh purchasing more Boeing aircraft might have referred to the country's previously concluded aircraft deal.

She made the remarks while talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia and Ambassador to India Sergio Gor recently said Bangladesh has committed billions of dollars to buy additional Boeing aircraft from the United States under a new deal between Dhaka and Washington.

"Just this week, President Trump and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh (Tarique Rahman) made another incredible deal, with Bangladesh committing to spend billions of dollars to buy more Boeing aircraft, significantly increasing their initial order," Gor said in a post on X on Sunday night.

In April, Bangladesh signed a deal with US aircraft manufacturer Boeing to buy 14 planes for its national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the two sides announced - the airline's biggest-ever order, in a deal valued at $3.7 billion.

Gor visited Bangladesh from 30 July to 1 August and met with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman to discuss the political and economic dynamics shaping Bangladesh-US relations.

Meanwhile, State Minister Shama said the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will deepen cooperation with Bangladesh to strengthen parliamentary democracy and enhance lawmakers' capacity as the country moves forward with a young and newly constituted parliament.

"The IPU will work with Bangladesh and extend its cooperation to further strengthen democracy in the country," she told journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after a meeting with visiting IPU Secretary General Anda Filip.

She said the IPU delegation is observing Bangladesh's current political and democratic situation and has interacted with lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties, as well as women parliamentarians.

The delegation is examining how parliamentary democracy is functioning in Bangladesh following the country's return to democratic governance after years of political transition, she said.

Shama said the IPU views Bangladesh's new parliament positively, particularly because of the presence of a significant number of young and first-time lawmakers.

"Bangladesh now has a young and new parliament. Many of its members are first-time MPs and comparatively young, with greater representation of youth in parliament. They view this very positively," she said.

The state minister said her discussion with the IPU Secretary General also covered ways to enhance the skills and institutional capacity of Bangladeshi lawmakers and strengthen their engagement with parliamentarians across the world.

She said Bangladesh is interested in greater participation by its lawmakers in the IPU's capacity-building and training programmes, including those held in Geneva.

The two sides also discussed democracy, human rights, peace and stability, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), women's empowerment, gender equality and climate resilience - areas Shama described as priorities for the government.

"On behalf of the government, I expressed our commitment to engaging more closely with the Inter-Parliamentary Union," she said.

The IPU is scheduled to hold a conference in Tanzania next month, where Bangladesh's Speaker and parliament members are expected to participate, she added.

Filip arrived in Dhaka on Sunday night and is scheduled to leave Bangladesh on 2 September.