Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – Robert O. Blake, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, will arrive in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday for a three-day visit. 
During his stay, he will participate in a series of diplomatic, trade, education and civil society events intended to expand bilateral relations, according to a US embassy press statement. 
Mr. Blake will attend the Edward M. Kennedy 40th Anniversary Commemoration at Dhaka University on Tuesday. This commemoration will bring together eminent members of Bangladeshi society along with State Department alumni and youth leaders to celebrate American-Bangladeshi friendship and the anniversary of Senator Kennedy’s visit to Dhaka in 1972. 
The US envoy is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He will also meet with other senior government officials and representatives of civil society. 
Mr. Blake will travel to Chittagong, where he will attend events at the Independent University Bangladesh and Asian University for Women, and participate in a Certificate of Completion Ceremony for madrassa students who have held English language scholarships. 
He will also visit a Grameen Bank Borrower’s Group site in Bangladesh and attend a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce as part of the US-Bangladesh Trade Show.
 
BBN/SSR/AD-14Feb12-9:50 am (BST)