US in direct talks with Bangladesh over shared priorities

US under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights Uzra Zeya emphasised on working together to achieve the goal of holding a free and fair election in Bangladesh during her recent visit to the country, said US state department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller during a regular press briefing on Tuesday.

The spokesperson also said that US officials are engaged in direct talks with Bangladeshi officials about their shared priorities.

At one point during the press briefing, a journalist pointed out that since the visit of US state department officials to Bangladesh, the attacks on the opposition have increased significantly and asked what the spokesperson had to say about that?

Miller replied, “Under secretary Zeya and other officials visited Bangladesh and met with the prime minister and other officials last week. She also met with labour activists, civil society leaders, and human rights defenders. During these meetings, the under secretary emphasised the importance of working together to achieve Bangladesh’s goal of free and fair elections; the crucial role of civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, and labour activists; accountability for human rights abuses; and the need to continue to support Rohingya refugees.”

“She also visited Rohingya refugees as well as humanitarian partners and Bangladesh senior government officials in Cox’s Bazar and announced $74 million in additional humanitarian assistance to support Burma and Bangladesh response efforts,” added Miller.

He concluded by saying that, “The United States is dedicated to partnering with the government and civil society to address the scourge of human trafficking in the region.”

He was also asked how he assessed the current relationship between the United States and Bangladesh considering the recent developments.

“I will say that – first of all, with respect to the point you made about Bangladesh being an important country, I would say the fact that I speak about it in this briefing room almost every day, and the fact that senior officials from the United States regularly travel to Bangladesh, would show that we share that assessment. And I would say that one of the things that I have emphasised from this podium, that the under secretary emphasised in her trip, is the importance of the United States and Bangladesh working together to achieve Bangladesh’s goal of free and fair elections as well as the crucial role of civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, and labour activists, accountability for human rights abuses.

“These are important issues in our bilateral relationship. So to your question about the relationship, it is why we engage so directly with Bangladeshi officials. Why we talk about this from this podium is because we believe these should be shared priorities for our two countries.”