Foreign diplomats visit increases ahead of polls
Diplomatic Correspondent :
Ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election, the engagement and visits of the international observers and foreign diplomats have been increasing with a call for holding the polls in a free, fair and credible manner.
The Foreign Ministry has stated that all these visits are not solely pertaining to election centric rather Bangladesh has various engagements with the US and other European countries.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office on Thursday unveiled the information of a series of upcoming visits in July by the representatives from the United States and the European Union regarding election and human rights situation in the country.
Apart from these visits, UK Minister of State for International Trade Nigel Huddleston wrapped up his two-day visit July 4-5 and held talks with minister and adviser. Before leaving Dhaka, he urged the government for free and fair elections and holding dialogue with the opposition.
Amid these, Foreign Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs of India Saurabh Kumar visited Bangladesh for a brief one-day trip on Thursday to talk with the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Masud Bin Momen on the BIMSTEC.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry stated that Uzra Zeya, the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights in the United States, will be visiting Bangladesh from July 11-14.
The important members accompanying her on this trip are Donald Lu, the Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and Anjali Kaur, the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Asia Bureau at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
“The purpose of Uzra Zeya’s visit is primarily to strengthen the already strong bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the United States and to enhance communication between governments of the both countries,” Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, Director General (Additional Charge) of Public Diplomacy Wing told the journalists during the weekly media briefing at the Ministry on Thursday.
He also said that, the visiting delegation would hold meetings at various levels of the government. The delegation also has plans to visit Rohingya camps for observation.
On the other hand, an Election Exploratory Mission, consisting of six European Union members, will be visiting Bangladesh from July 8 to 23, upon the invitation of the Election Commission.
The mission’s primary task will be to assess the scope, planning, budget, logistics, and security of the main Election Observation Mission (EOM).
During their stay in Bangladesh, the mission intends to hold meetings with government representatives, election stakeholders, international community representatives, personnel from various law enforcement agencies responsible for maintaining law and order, political leaders, civil society, and media representatives, Foreign Ministry said.
“Based on the information gathered from the exploratory mission, a final decision will be made regarding the deployment of a comprehensive Election Observation Mission (EOM) prior to the upcoming national elections by the European Union,” Rafiqul Alam said.
In reply to a query about the series of visits from foreign representatives, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said, “These visits were pre-arranged and part of regular international engagements. These visits should not be interpreted as orchestrated or coordinated efforts.”
“Each visit has its own specific purpose and background, with the EU mission being focused on elections. The decision to send observers for the election will be determined after their observation,” he said.
“I don’t have specific information regarding the US delegation’s visit in relation to the election. Their visit is a continuation of our ongoing mechanisms. We will be discussing various issues, such as human rights and labor issues. The election issue may also be addressed during the discussions. It’s important to note that we have multiple mechanisms with the US,” he said.
He, however, said, “I am not ruling out the possibility of discussing the election issue during the visit. However, it would be inaccurate to claim that the US delegation’s visit is solely focused on the election.”
Asked if there were discussions with the Indian delegate regarding the elections, Masud Bin Momen said these speculations are irrelevant and inaccurate.
The BIMSTEC secretary is not present in the city due to the demise of her mother.
He ruled out the speculations and reiterated that Saurabh Kumar came here to discuss BIMSTEC-related issues.
The foreign secretary also made it clear that Saurabh Kumar has no connection with the impending Bangladesh trip of the US delegation.
In addition, Eamon Gilmore, the Special Representative of the European Union for Human Rights, will visit Bangladesh in the last week of July.
He will visit Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar and hold discussions with representatives from various levels of the government on human rights issues.
Regarding the Rohingya repatriation, the Foreign Ministry informed that intensive discussions are underway between China and Myanmar to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingyas.
However, the specific date for the commencement of repatriation has not been finalized yet. The monsoon season has also contributed to the delay in initiating the process.
Apart from this, Foreign Office also briefed that the “International Conference on Public Health and Diplomacy” would be held in Dhaka for two days on July 11-12. It is expected that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference.
