New US Ambassador Brent Christensen Arrives in Dhaka

Brent Christensen, the newly appointed 18th Ambassador of the United States to Bangladesh, arrived in Dhaka on Monday evening (January 12). He landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a scheduled Qatar Airways flight.

Senior officials from the United States Embassy and representatives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present at the airport to receive the ambassador.

Diplomatic sources said Ambassador Christensen is expected to present his credentials to Mohammed Shahabuddin, the President of Bangladesh, later this week.

Christensen formally took the oath of office at the United States Department of State in Washington on January 9. The oath was administered by Michael J Rigas, US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. Following the ceremony, Christensen pledged to work toward strengthening bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the United States.

A seasoned diplomat and senior member of the United States Foreign Service, Christensen is not new to Bangladesh. He previously served at the US Embassy in Dhaka as Political and Economic Counsellor from 2019 to 2021, a period marked by close engagement on governance, economic cooperation and regional issues.

From 2022 to 2025, he served as Foreign Policy Adviser to the United States Strategic Command. His earlier diplomatic assignments include postings in Manila, San Salvador, Riyadh and Ho Chi Minh City.

The previous US ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas, departed Dhaka in April 2024. Since then, Tracey Ann Jacobson had been serving as Chargé d’Affaires. With Christensen’s arrival, Bangladesh once again has a full-fledged US ambassador, a development seen as significant amid ongoing political and economic transitions in the country.