US wants free, fair and peaceful national election in Bangladesh

Staff Reporter :
The US government has reaffirmed its commitments to promoting human rights and holding free, fair and peaceful elections in Bangladesh.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said this during a bilateral meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Shahriar Alam on 7 October at the Department of State in Washington, D.C, said a press release on Saturday.
The Deputy Secretary also expressed condolences for the three Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers, who were killed in the line of duty on October 4 in the Central African Republic.
On the other hand, Bangladesh urged the United States to consider the withdrawal of the sanctions on Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and some of its senior personnel as soon as possible.
While US said that US would continue its collaboration with Bangladesh to fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
The bilateral meeting focused on an array of bilateral matters and global issues of common interest.
Referring to the US sanctions on RAB, the State Minister urged the US government to withdraw the sanctions as soon as possible.
On the contrary, Deputy Secretary Sherman reiterated on continued collaboration with Bangladesh on its fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
Noting the progress made in the labour sector in Bangladesh, Deputy Secretary Sherman stressed upon strengthening cooperation between the two countries to increase bilateral trade.
The war in Ukraine, the issue of food and energy security and the next parliamentary election in Bangladesh were also discussed at the meeting.
Shahriar Alam also urged the US government to expedite the deportation of Bangabanhu’s killer Rashed Chowdhury to Bangladesh mentioning that the issue was of utmost importance to the people of Bangladesh and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself.
He also emphasised the conclusion of an extradition treaty between Bangladesh and the USA as early as possible.
The State Minister thanked the US government for extending tremendous support to Bangladesh by delivering nearly 88 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to fight the pandemic.
He also expressed his sincere appreciation for the US humanitarian support to the Rohingyas in Bangladesh and the US efforts to ensure repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.
He sought the US support at the WTO on LDC related matters so that countries like Bangladesh could attain a smooth and sustainable LDC graduation.
The State Minister expressed his government’s willingness to work more closely with the US on the issue of climate change and migration.
In this regard, he drew the US attention for an action-oriented discussion on the issue of loss and damage in the upcoming COP-27.
The Deputy Secretary, at the outset of her discussion, expressed deep condolences for the loss of three Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the Central African Republic recently.
In this regard, she lauded the contribution of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in global peacekeeping.
She was also appreciative of Bangladesh’s high COVID-19 vaccination rate and measures undertaken by the government to fight and contain the pandemic.
The Deputy Secretary appreciated Bangladesh’s leadership role in climate change and encouraged Bangladesh to join the Global Methane Pledge prior to COP27.
She also underscored the US commitment to the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal war of aggression.
The meeting also discussed the US-Bangladesh partnership as two countries commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.