Washington, Sep 27 (Just News): The United States on Wednesday urged Bangladesh to ensure a free, fair and participatory election in the country that reflects the will of the people.
This message of the Trump Administration was conveyed to Foreign Secretary, Md Shahidul Haque, during a meeting in New York by Mark Green, Administrator of USAID.
During the meeting in New York on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly session, the two leaders discussed the upcoming national elections in Bangladesh.
“The Administrator stressed the US Government's expectations that the Government of Bangladesh will fulfill its commitment to hold free, fair, and participatory elections that reflect the will of the Bangladeshi people,” said a US statement issued after the meeting.
Green, during the meeting, expressed appreciation for the continued compassion shown by Bangladeshi people and Government toward the nearly one million Rohingya who have fled ethnic cleansing in Myanmar.
He emphasized that the US Government's priority is to support political processes that will enable the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of refugees to Myanmar.
At the same time, Green reiterated that the US will continue to show solidarity with Bangladesh by supporting both emergency humanitarian assistance to refugees and efforts to alleviate the strain on host communities.
Early this week, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley had announced more than $185 million in additional US funding for those affected by the Rakhine State crisis throughout Myanmar and Bangladesh, which brought the total US humanitarian assistance in response to the crisis to nearly $389 million since August 2017.
Green also asked for the Bangladesh's continued assistance in prosecuting those responsible for the brutal killing in 2016 of Xulhaz Mannan, a USAID employee.
