Dhaka, Washington sign civil nuclear cooperation pact

Bangladesh and the United States have signed a strategic agreement on civil nuclear cooperation to expand collaboration in the peaceful use of nuclear technology, with Prime Minister's Adviser for Science and Technology Rehan Asad signing for Bangladesh and US Under Secretary Jacob Helberg signing on behalf of Washington on September 25, according to the BNP Media Cell.

The agreement follows a US proposal for renewed cooperation raised during Special Envoy Sergio Gor's meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman in August. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed had said the government viewed the proposal positively, provided any bilateral engagement served Bangladesh's national interests.

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Bangladesh and the US first signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 1981, although it was not renewed after 1991, according to the Foreign Ministry. More broadly, Washington describes agreements under Section 123 of its Atomic Energy Act as providing a legal framework for significant peaceful nuclear cooperation, encompassing nuclear material, equipment, technical exchanges and safeguards.