US expects Bangladesh to maintain safety of foreign missions
Staff Reporter :
The United States has voiced its concerns about the safety and security of all foreign missions and their personnel in Bangladesh ahead of the parliamentary elections.
“I’m not going to discuss specific details around security at the US embassy or the personnel those work there.
I will say that of course the safety and security of our diplomatic personnel is of the utmost importance to us,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a regular media briefing in Washington on Thursday.
He further said, “As per the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, every host country must uphold its obligations to ensure the protection of all diplomatic mission premises and take all diplomatic steps to prevent any attack on personnel.”
“The United States values its relationship with Bangladesh, and we expect that the government will take all necessary actions to maintain the safety and security of all foreign missions and personnel in the country, including ours,” he emphasised.
Miller came up with the response when his attention was drawn to the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas’ recent TV interview in Bangladesh where he expressed his security concern.
When questioned about the possibility of the US imposing additional visa restrictions on Bangladesh, including the pro-government media who helped the regime to be a ‘monster’, the State Department spokesperson said, “I’m not going to announce specific steps, preview steps that we might take from the podium.”
“We have taken steps to impose restrictions under the Secretary’s authority against members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition who we believe to be responsible for or complicit in undermining free and fair elections in Bangladesh,” he said.
“And as we made clear when we announced this policy on May 24th – that’s when we announced the policy, not the imposition of sanctions on specific individuals – but when we announced that policy, that it could be applied to any Bangladeshi individual who we believe was responsible for or complicit in undermining the democratic process.
So we retain the option to impose sanctions on other individuals if and when we believe it’s appropriate,” he pointed out.
Following the imposition of visa restrictions on Bangladeshi individuals, the government of Bangladesh and leaders from the ruling Awami League have issued statements downplaying the significance of these restrictions.
They asserted that there was nothing to fear and characterised the visa restrictions as an unwarranted intervention by the US in the internal affairs of Bangladesh.
In contrast, the US government has defended its decision, citing a shared commitment to promoting free and fair elections as the primary motivation behind the visa restrictions.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam expressed reservations about the inclusion of the media within the scope of US visa restrictions, stating that it doesn’t appear to be the best course of action.
“We expect they will not take any steps that interfere in the freedom of the media or limit its freedom,” he told the journalists in the capital.
The US on September 22 announced taking steps to impose visa restrictions on Bangladeshi individuals responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.
These individuals include members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition. The United States is committed to supporting free and fair elections in Bangladesh that are carried out in a peaceful manner.
Our actions today reflect the continued commitment of the United States to supporting Bangladesh’s goal of peacefully holding free and fair national elections, and to support those seeking to advance democracy globally, he added.
