US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday assured the chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh that the US government would help Bangladesh get back the stolen money and provide support to eliminate corruption.
“We want to be good partners. We will make things work fast for Bangladesh,” he said during a meeting with Prof Muhammad Yunus at a hotel, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United National General Assembly, in New York on Thursday (local time).
Blinken also expressed their willingness to become Bangladesh's good partner in its new journey and work together to help rebuild the country.
“The US has tremendous respect for Nobel Laureate Prof Yunus. We know that Professor Yunus took up the leadership of Bangladesh at a critical time for the nation. And the US believes that he can rebuild the country,” Blinken said.
During the meeting, Yunus said the interim government was tasked with rebuilding the country, and he sought support from multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, the IMF and also the USAID to fix the country's economy and its institutions.
"It has to be done very fast," he said, adding the entire population is "unified" behind his government and was looking forward to rebuilding the country as quickly as they can.
Many reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government, anti-corruption measures, repatriation of the money stolen from Bangladesh and stashed abroad, labour issues, trade and economic cooperation, and law and order featured the talks between Yunus and Blinken.
Yunus said that fighting corruption and improving law and order were the top priority of his administration.
“The country was sunk into an ocean of corruption during the previous regime. This [fighting corruption] is my number one issue,” he said.
He sought US support to get back the billions of dollars stolen from the country and siphoned off abroad by individuals linked with the previous regime.
"It is a huge amount of money. Unbelievable!!" he said, referring to the laundered assets.
Blinken offered the US government's support in this regard. "We are happy to help," he said, adding, “We have a lot of expertise in dealing with endemic corruption.”
The chief adviser said improving labour standards was one of the interim government's top goals, as this would pave the way for more foreign direct investment in the country.
Blinken said the US is the largest source of foreign investment in Bangladesh, and he hoped it would grow in the coming years.
The duo also discussed the UN fact-finding mission investigating atrocities during the July-August uprising and media freedom.
Yunus said his government has upheld freedom of speech and freedom of press. He said he has asked the media to criticise them "as best as they can".
He said the government is committed to maintaining racial harmony in the country. "All Bangladesh is a big family. We have differences. But we are not enemies," he added.
The two also discussed the Rohingya crisis, with the chief adviser seeking support for hundreds of thousands of young Rohingya children growing up in the camps of Bangladesh.
They discussed the importance of respecting internationally recognised labour rights and protecting human rights for all in Bangladesh, including Rohingya refugees and members of minority communities.
Blinken also indicated US support for free and fair elections, which will chart an inclusive, democratic and equitable future for all Bangladeshis, said US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller after the meeting.
The secretary of state underscored US support and assistance for the interim government as it guides the country towards economic stability and highlighted the importance of reforms to ensure continued foreign direct investment, Miller said.
