US blasts Russia for misleading its policy towards Dhaka
Staff Reporter :
The United States said that the Russian Foreign Ministry has deliberately mischaracterised the US foreign policy and Peter Haas’s meetings with the political parties in Bangladesh.
“We are aware of Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s deliberate mischaracterization of US foreign policy and ambassador Haas’s meetings,” US Embassy Dhaka said on Saturday quoting the US State Department spokesperson’s statement.
“The United States does not support any political party in Bangladesh. Nor does the United States favor one political party over another,” the Embassy further said.
The US State Department always reiterates that they want what the Bangladeshi people aspire for free and fair elections conducted in a peaceful manner.
During a weekly briefing on November 22, the Russian Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said “We have spoken repeatedly about the attempts by the United States and its allies to influence internal political processes in Bangladesh, ostensibly under the banner of ensuring “transparency and inclusiveness” in the upcoming parliamentary elections there. Do you understand where the United States is and where Bangladesh is?”
Information has come to light regarding a meeting at the end of October between US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas and a high-ranking representative of the local opposition.
They reportedly discussed plans to organise mass anti-government protests in the country during the meeting,” she said.
In particular, the American Ambassador promised his interlocutor to provide information support in the event that the authorities used force against participants in “peaceful demonstrations.”
These assurances were purportedly made on behalf of the embassies of the United States, Britain, Australia and several other countries, she said.
“How can these actions of the American Ambassador to Bangladesh be regarded? They can be seen as nothing less than gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state on the part of Washington and its satellites, demonstrating open disregard for the norms and rules enshrined in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” she said.
“On our part, we have not doubts regarding the ability of the Bangladeshi authorities to hold the parliamentary elections scheduled for January 7, 2024, in full compliance with national legislation, independently, without the help of overseas well-wishers,” the Russian Spokesperson said.
