US conveys its concerns regarding free and fair elections in Bangladesh

US conveys its concerns regarding free and fair elections in Bangladesh

M Mushfiqul Fazal, State Department

The US has conveyed its concerns regarding free and fair elections and human rights in Bangladesh.

Counselor of the US Department of State Derek Chollet conveyed these concerns during a meeting with Bangladesh’s Private Industry and Investment Advisor Salman Rahman held at Washington on Wednesday.

Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, said this while responding to a question on the next general election in Bangladesh on Thursday.

He further said counselor Derek Chollet reiterated that the U.S. relationship with Bangladesh is guided by our shared commitment to democracy and our shared work together for durable solutions for Rohingya.

Video: Reuters

In the briefing, State Department correspondent M Mushfiqul Fazal asked, “I saw a tweet that counselor Derek Chollet had a meeting with the Bangladesh authorities, and he expressed US concern about the upcoming free, fair election and human rights. Would you please give us more details about this meeting, and the bilateral dialogue between the under- US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and Bangladesh foreign secretary?”

In reply, Vedant Patel said, “Counselor Chollet met with Bangladesh’s Private Industry and Investment Advisor Salman Rahman to convey U.S. concerns regarding free and fair elections and human rights in Bangladesh yesterday. The counselor reiterated that the U.S. relationship with Bangladesh is guided by our shared commitment to democracy and our shared work together for durable solutions for Rohingya.”

He further said, “I will also note that yesterday the U.S. and Bangladesh convened the ninth U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue here in D.C. Under Secretary Nuland and Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen co-chaired this meeting. Both sides reiterated their commitment to a growing partnership across a range of issues. These issues you’ve heard me talk about pretty frequently this week, issues like addressing the climate crisis, security collaboration, as well as deepening economic ties as well.”

MN/