BSS //

The upcoming February 12 parliamentary elections will be a benchmark for all future elections, said Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus. He said the government is fully prepared to organize a free, fair and participatory election.

Professor Yunus made the remarks when the newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent Christensen paid a courtesy call on the Chief Advisor at the state guest house Jamuna in the capital on Thursday. During the meeting, the two sides discussed various issues including the upcoming national elections, comprehensive reforms in labor laws, the proposed Bangladesh-US customs agreement and the Rohingya crisis.

The Chief Advisor said the February 12 elections will be free, fair and transparent. He said he was hopeful that the European Union would send a large number of election observers and other development partners would also send observers.

Dr. Yunus said, “This will be a festive election. It will set a benchmark for better elections in the future. Let us be optimistic.”

Highlighting various foreign policy initiatives of the interim government, Professor Yunus said that Bangladesh has taken initiatives to gain membership in ASEAN. He also mentioned the need to revive SAARC as an effective platform to strengthen regional and economic cooperation in South Asia.

In response, Ambassador Brent Christensen said that he is interested in working with whoever wins the February elections. He praised the important reform initiatives taken by the interim government in the last 18 months and Professor Yunus’ leadership. He also applauded the initiative to enact a new labor law.

The Chief Advisor thanked US President Donald Trump for reducing tariffs on Bangladeshi products. He expressed hope that further tariff reductions would be possible through the ongoing trade negotiations.

The US Ambassador said that the United States welcomes the progress in the trade negotiations. At the same time, he mentioned that agricultural products and trade expansion are an important basis for Dhaka-Washington talks.

Regarding the Rohingya, Professor Yunus said that Bangladesh is grateful for the continued humanitarian assistance of the United States for more than one million Rohingya Muslims living in camps in the southeastern part of Bangladesh.

Referring to Bangladesh as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia, the Chief Advisor said that Bangladesh has already applied for a Sectoral Dialogue Partnership with the organization with a view to becoming an ASEAN member.

He also said that in the last 18 months, he has made sincere efforts to revive SAARC, so that the people and economies of South Asia can be closer. He expressed hope that the future government will take this initiative forward.

The recent US visa ban on 75 countries, including Bangladesh, was also discussed during the meeting. National Security Advisor Dr. Khalilur Rahman and SDG Coordinator Lamia Morshed were present at the time.

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