Tariqul told the new US envoy that Bangladesh has an absolutely free press and the sky here is open with a number of television and radio channels operating in the private sector alongside the public sector Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar.

Ambassador Thomas said he was impressed with the vibrancy in Bangladesh press and had known about the free press here even before arriving in Dhaka.

He thanked the minister for the cooperation and assistance the ministry has been extending to the Voice of America in the transmission of their programmes to a very large audience in Bangladesh.

Ambassador Thomas said the United States and Bangladesh have similarities in democratic culture. He said his country supports the people's democratic rights to protest, but added that repeated calls of hartal bring disaster to a nation's economy.

The information minister wished the new US envoy a pleasant and fruitful tenure in Bangladesh, an official release said.

Information Secretary Nazmul Alam Siddiqui, Principal Information Officer Khandkar Manirul Alam, Chief Editor of BSS Amanullah Kabir, Deputy Head of US Mission in Bangladesh Judith Chammas and Cultural Attache Michelle Jones also took part in the discussion.

The US ambassador also called on Minister for Science and Information and Communication Technology Dr Moyeen Khan at his office.

During the meeting, the US envoy termed Bangladesh a potential country in respect of science and technology and gave assurances of all possible cooperation in this sector.