Bangladesh-US Sign Strategic Civil Nuclear Deal

DHAKA: Charting a transformative path for peaceful atomic energy application, nuclear engineering safety, and sustainable power generation, Bangladesh and the United States have signed a landmark Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. The bilateral pact was signed by Rehan Asad, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Science and Technology for Bangladesh, and Jacob Helberg, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment for the United States. The development was officially confirmed on Saturday, 26 September 2026, through the verified Facebook platform of the BNP Media Cell.

Under the institutional framework, both sovereign nations affirmed the strategic significance of their diplomatic partnership, noting that civil nuclear capabilities play a pivotal role in strengthening regional grid stability, energy diversification, and economic resilience. The agreement operationalizes channels for advanced technological exchanges, regulatory nuclear safety benchmarking, institutional capacity building, and collaborative academic research. Both signatories reaffirmed uncompromising adherence to global nuclear safety protocols, comprehensive safeguards, and non-proliferation norms.

The framework underscores that both Bangladesh and the United States are active State Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), opened for signature on 1 July 1968, and have enforced comprehensive bilateral safeguards agreements and the Additional Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Diplomatic records reflect that this agreement traces its historical continuity back to foundational atomic cooperation frameworks explored during the administration of President Ziaur Rahman in 1981. Momentum accelerated during the high-level diplomatic mission of US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor to Dhaka, during which Washington formally tendered the bilateral draft.

Addressing the initiative earlier on 3 August, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam had affirmed that Dhaka maintains a positive stance toward peaceful civil nuclear engagements with the United States. She had stressed that the administration assesses all foreign bilateral arrangements through the prism of core national interests and sovereign socioeconomic welfare.

The pact complements an overarching strategic energy memorandum concluded between Bangladesh and the United States in May 2026, which prioritized diverse power generation routes. This civil nuclear pact establishes a forward-looking technological foundation to bolster Bangladesh's future baseload power and scientific research architecture.

//DBTech/BMS/SME/BTOP//