CA tells US envoy: Bangladesh prepared to ensure fair polls

Staff Reporter :

Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to holding a free, fair, and peaceful general election in the first half of February, during a meeting with United States (US) Special Envoy Sergio Gor.

“The polls will take place in February. They will be free, fair, and peaceful. Bangladesh is fully prepared,” he assured the visiting envoy, who also serves as the US Ambassador-designate to India.

Sergio Gor praised Prof Yunus’s leadership and reiterated Washington’s readiness to support Bangladesh’s democratic and developmental efforts.

The meeting covered a wide spectrum of bilateral and regional issues, including trade, South Asian cooperation, the revival of SAARC, the Rohingya crisis, and combating disinformation campaigns directed against Dhaka.

Highlighting the plight of over one million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, the Chief Adviser appealed for continued US assistance. In response, the envoy confirmed that Washington’s humanitarian support would remain in place.

Prof Yunus also underlined the interim government’s renewed efforts to revive SAARC, which has not convened a summit for more than a decade.

At the same time, he expressed Bangladesh’s aspiration to join ASEAN, noting that deeper integration with Southeast Asian economies could accelerate the country’s growth.

He further stressed the need to strengthen economic linkages with landlocked Nepal and Bhutan, along with India’s Northeastern states, saying: “Closer regional cooperation can significantly boost our economic progress.”

Concluding the meeting, the Chief Adviser extended an invitation to Sergio Gor to visit Bangladesh at the earliest opportunity.