US Ambassador James F Moriarty yesterday said Bangladesh has achieved progress in different sectors in the last one year.

He also hoped that the country would attain more achievements in the future.

The US ambassador said this at a view exchange meeting with senior journalists of the Prothom Alo during his visit to the newspaper's office at Karwan Bazar in the city.

He also spoke of various issues, including Bangladesh-US bilateral trade relation, impacts of global economic recession,. situation in South Asia and militancy and terrorism. Later, he visited different sections of the Prothom Alo office.

At the meeting, Moriarty said when he arrived in Bangladesh a year ago, he saw the country undergoing a transition to democracy. There were confusion and doubts

over the country's future, but the caretaker government managed to hold a free, fair and neutral election after preparing a modern voter list, which helped restore democracy, he said and congratulated the caretaker government, media, political parties and democracy-loving people.

It is a hopeful sign that the economy of Bangladesh still remains in a stable position despite the global economic meltdown, the US envoy said.

At the beginning of the meeting, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman described the progress of the newspaper since its incep -tion and its socio-economic activities.

Political and economic counsellor at the US Embassy Jon Danilowicz, information officer Harvey Sernovitz, head of press section Marina Yasmin, Joint Editor of Prothom Alo Abdul Quayum and Deputy Editors Sajjad Sharif and Anisul Haque were present at the meeting.