<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">US Deputy Assistant Secretary Afreen Akhter has said Washington is working "very closely" with Bangladeshi civil society actors to deliver free and fair elections in the country.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>"Our USAID mission is working very closely," she told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after her meeting with acting Foreign Secretary Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam.</div><div><br></div><div>The US official said they discussed maritime security and how they can cooperate with Bangladesh and other forms of maritime cooperation in the region during the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>She said they also discussed a range of bilateral issues, including&nbsp; US support for "free and fair" elections in Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>"Very exciting to be here to talk about a whole range of issues," said Akhter, who is Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Maldives, as well the Office of Security and Transnational Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>She most recently served as a Senior Adviser to SCA Assistant Secretary Don Lu.</div><div><br></div><div>Previously, Akhter was the National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser to U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>