EU: No pressure on Bangladesh election, focus on reforms
NN Online:
The European Union (EU), comprising 27 member states, has expressed its support for allowing the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Prof Muhammad Yunus sufficient time to implement necessary reforms.
Reiterating its support for the delivery of an ambitious reform agenda in Bangladesh, European Union Ambassador Michael Miller has said the election timing is an issue for Bangladesh to decide, noting that the bloc is not pressuring anyone to hold the election on a particular date.
“I have to say it is a matter for Bangladesh to take a decision on. We see this political transition as leading up to the democratic election. From the EU, we don’t have any opinion on time, we are not pressuring anyone to hold an election on a particular date,” Miller said while responding to a question at the DCAB Talk held at the National Press Club on Monday.
“And we have the political will to stand with you,” he added.
Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus recently said the people of Bangladesh think that the interim government is still the “good answer” for them, but stressed that they will not go beyond June 2026 to hold the “best election ever” in the country.
Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) hosted the event, where DCAB President AKM Moinuddin and General Secretary Md Arifuzzaman Mamun also spoke.
Ambassador Miller said they are far and above partnering with countries which are in the process of developing because they believe that “your prosperity is our prosperity, too.”
Noting that the world is an unstable place, the Ambassador said they are in the business of looking for partners everywhere, including in Bangladesh, for sharing the leadership on issues including on climate change.
“I find this presents a moment of opportunity for the European Union to deepen and widen its partnership with Bangladesh,” he said.
“We look to our partners, including here in Dhaka, to speak up vocally alongside us in defense of rules that protect us all. We are still building bridges with those who like us care about fair and rules-based trade as the basis for the creation of wealth and jobs for our citizens,” he mentioned.
Sitting here as an observer eight months into his job, the Ambassador said Bangladesh’s political transition is a unique opportunity for the country to underpin respect for fundamental rights in Bangladesh to restore democracy and to let civil society breathe. “And in civil society, I include the media, of course.”
The Ambassador said they are working on port safety with Bangladesh and on maritime security as well. “But given the level of insecurity in this world, we want to also see military to military cooperation between the EU military staff and the military here in Bangladesh.”
He said they are working also on countering terrorism and countering violent extremism across the region, and that is equally an important area for them to continue to cooperate upon.
On migration issues, he said they support safe, dignified and regular migration but unfortunately, migration can be irregular, undignified and extremely dangerous.
“We prefer to look for legal pathways for migration, even if this is on a small scale, because what happens currently, regrettably, is that poor migrants try to reach Europe with a dream of prosperity, which we can all understand. But they are, in fact, exploited by traffickers and smugglers along the way, and they even lose their lives,” he said.
And this is something that they need to put order into, said the Ambassador, adding that it is a shared interest.
“I think, between the EU and Bangladesh, informing migrants about the risks or about the opportunities, is something that is extremely important to us,” he said.
Ambassador Miller said they will continue to work towards ensuring a smooth graduation from LDC status for Bangladesh.
“You need a more complex value chain, in our view where you are building wealth for your citizens who are very talented individuals. We are, in return, expecting a level playing field for our trade and our investment,” he said, adding that Bangladesh needs to open up its economy in sectors where the private sector can bring world class technology.
The Ambassador said they do want to see greater trade and investment between the EU and Bangladesh going in those directions.