Home ›› 18 Jan 2023 ›› Opinion
The much-discussed US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has held a series of meetings at various levels of the government in 24 hours. Before leaving Dhaka on Sunday night, formal and informal discussions were held with political parties, civil society and individuals working on labor rights. The ‘rights’ of people everywhere have been discussed by Donald Lew, who is in charge of South and Central Asia at the State Department. In the discussion, Bangladesh’s democracy, good governance and the upcoming parliamentary elections have come up again and again. Here, the United States wants to see an acceptable election with the participation of all parties, which will truly reflect the aspirations of the people. However, on behalf of Dhaka, the US minister has been assured that the government is sincere in an acceptable election ceremony. There have been positive discussions on lifting the existing ban on RAB for human rights violations, reinstating GSP and extraditing Bangabandhu’s murderer.
According to the US minister, the two sides had very frank talks. Donald Lew uses the two words ‘honest’ and ‘open’ to convey credibility and depth of discussion on various issues.
Donald Lu said, “The United States wants to strengthen friendship with Bangladesh and Bangladesh has also extended its hand.” The same message has been given by Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Foreign Secretary Masood Bin Momen to improve the relationship between the two countries.
After a meeting with the Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday (January 15), the two officials faced reporters. Foreign Minister and US Ambassador Peter Haas were also present at this time.
In his opening speech at the briefing, I am glad to come to Bangladesh, a country of charming rivers and hospitable people. I am here to strengthen the friendship between our two countries, while the world continues to struggle for peace and justice.
Working together in the rights issue sectors
In response to a question, Lu said, “We are very proud, we also talked about labor rights today.” It is very important for the people and business relations of Bangladesh. I had a discussion with Prime Minister’s advisor Salman F Rahman. We will cooperate in the development of labor rights in this country. In the presence of the US representative in the briefing, the foreign minister said, since the US is our friend, we discussed how we can make bilateral relations more meaningful. If we get good and logical advice from them in this case, we will certainly accept it. We will try to overcome if we find any weakness. We have shown samples of their suggestions that we take.
Stating that the United States has been assured of a transparent, beautiful and acceptable election, Minister Momen said, “We also want a good election.” The minister said Bangladesh wants peace. His (LU’s) comment was ‘We want peace. We play a leading role in ensuring that peace is established in all parts of the world. The foreign minister also said that we have had constructive discussions. It’s about how to move the relationship forward for the next 50 years.
Enhancing bilateral cooperation
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said, “There have been several meetings between us. Note that the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Apart from Momen, Donald Lu had a separate meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs in Dhaka. The secretary said, I myself had an open discussion with him. Where our thoughts on trade, investment, labor conditions, sanctions, human rights, democracy, development, cooperation, Indo-Pacific are discussed. we will take the relationship to the next level.
Satisfaction with RAB reform and extrajudicial killings
Meanwhile, expressing satisfaction with the unprecedented improvement in RAB reform after the US ban, Donald Lu said that the number of extrajudicial killings has dropped unexpectedly. We had a fruitful discussion regarding RAB. Last week’s Human Rights Watch report identified remarkable progress in reducing extrajudicial killings. It’s a very good job. We also acknowledge this improvement. It is proven that RAB can do the responsibility of preventing terrorism and law enforcement while protecting human rights. He said the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has made remarkable progress in carrying out its duties while respecting human rights. He said, “This is a wonderful job. It demonstrates that the RAB is able to carry out important counter-terrorism and law enforcement work while respecting human rights.”
GSP and Bangladesh case
At this time, Lu said that the United States is working closely with the Bangladesh government on all the conditions for the return of GSP, and Bangladesh will be the first country to get approval for this list.
Bangladesh needs US in its development process
Donald Lu said that the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) has been well discussed and that ‘it is not a club but a strategy. Which we shared Bangladesh. Bangladesh believes in peaceful coexistence in the region.’ However, US must not target Bangladesh because Bangladesh is with US. The main export destination for Bangladeshi clothing is the United States. Bangladesh also believes in the free and open Indo-Pacific strategy of the US. Thus, US needs to ensure rapid economic growth. US should not worry about Bangladesh. Bangladesh strongly believes in friendship with all. Bangladesh is America’s main ally in South Asia. The two countries have extensive cooperation in regional and global security, counter-terrorism and climate change.
Meanwhile, Donald Lu had a meeting with Law Minister and Home Minister. The home minister said that he had discussed the politics of opposition parties and the elections, and said that on December 10, we arranged their rally peacefully, for which the US is happy. Regarding RAB’s ban, he said, they said it is a complicated process in their country. It may take some time. But the process you are advancing, I think it will be cleared in future. This is a hint. Is there any message about when the ban can be lifted? When asked by reporters, the minister said that he did not give a time frame. But the process has to be completed. I think we are on the right track. They said, the path you are on is the true path. Claiming that there was no discussion on RAB reform, the Home Minister said, “They (US) are happy with our current activities.” They are satisfied with the way our security forces are working. They (the United States) said, a lot of progress has been made. They want this progress to be permanent. Regarding the election, the Home Minister said, we have already said that the Prime Minister wants a fair election. That is why the Prime Minister is working. The Prime Minister is not stopping anyone from expressing their opinion. Even then, three months before the elections, the security forces will move to the Election Commission. They will control everything. Until then, the Prime Minister has given us instructions to maintain a peaceful environment and we are working accordingly.
Dispelling misconceptions
Donald Lu, who was recently named by Imran Khan as an official involved in a “foreign conspiracy” to topple his government, dodged the question when asked about regime change in Pakistan. Now, Donald Lu proved himself with this visit that he is not the mastermind of regime change in the region. He proved that he is working to strengthen ties with the region. His goal is not regime change. Donald Lu’s role in strengthening US-Bangladesh relations dispelled misconceptions among the Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani public that he has no role to play in regime change in the region.
Exchanging bilateral similarities
America wants democratic system; Bangladesh also wants democratic system. America wants to uphold human rights. Bangladesh also wants. Three million people of this country have given their blood for human rights, justice and democracy.
We were excited about the arrival of Donald Lu in Bangladesh. Bilateral relations between Bangladesh and America WAS strengthened through this visit through mutual understanding and discussion. The relationship between Bangladesh and the United States have been reached a new height. Since the inception of diplomatic relations, bilateral relations between the two countries have come a long way, and improved to a great extent. US policymakers and diplomats have traditionally played an important role in providing a solid foundation for these ties. The same role Donald Lu has played in this regard. We hope this visit will take Bangladesh-US relations a step further and strengthen our existing relations.
The writer specialises on strategic affairs. She can be contacted at [email protected]
