Bangladesh has conveyed to the United States its firm commitment to promoting democracy and human rights saying as a nation it made supreme sacrifice to defend the democratic rights of its people.
"The shared commitment to democratic governance and human rights serves as the fundamental basis for Bangladesh-US relations," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen mentioned in his recent letter sent to his US counterpart Antony J Blinken.
When people's voice and election results were ignored by then Pakistani Government in 1971, Bangladeshis waged the War of Liberation to uphold democracy, human rights and justice.
Two countries economic partnership, security cooperation and people-to-people contact have flourished around this ideological pivot, Dr Momen mentioned in his letter sent on December 24, a diplomatic source in Washington told UNB.
Accordingly, he mentioned, the two countries have developed various mechanisms to hold dialogues in order to understand each other's priorities and work closely to nurture the ever-evolving multifaceted relationship.
Perhaps, Dr Momen said, Bangladesh is one of the most vibrant countries in the world in terms of press and media with 43 private TV channels, 550 national dailies and thousands of online newspapers.
All these media outlets are functioning with full freedom and independence, the government thinks.
Access to information has also been "greatly enhanced" through widespread and unhindered internet infrastructure, Dr Momen conveyed to Secretary Blinken.
At times, the Foreign Minister said, such unregulated medium of communication does create social problems that harm freedom and privacy of the individuals.
In view of the ever-changing nature of cyber threats, defamation and other forms of misuse of cyber domain by the criminals, a Digital Security Act is in place, Dr Momen conveyed his US counterpart.
"The Act continues to help us guarantee and create safe and conducive cyberspace for all. However, we are cognizant of the views of our partners on some of the provisions of the Act," Dr Momen mentioned in his letter.
Bangladesh remains engaged with the UN and its partners to address the concerns.
Minority Issues
Dr Momen said they are "dismayed" by the "fabricated and unfounded" stories about persecution of minority in Bangladesh.
He said Bangladesh is a land of religious harmony and "ours is a secular Government under the leadership of Prime minister Sheikh Hasina."
Bangladesh says its government allows people from all religions and faiths to freely exercise their rights and privileges.
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"We never discriminate against the individuals on the basis of religion, race or color. For instance, nearly majority of the Police Officers serving at Police Stations are Hindu although the Hindu constitutes only 9% of the total population in the country," Dr Momen conveyed to Secretary Blinken.
People with extremist political views and ideologies are, however, utterly upset with the secular image of the Government, he mentioned.
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Dr Momen mentioned the recent death of minority people in Cumilla and Rangpur saying it is a manifestation of such an "ill-motivated attempt" to destabilize the communal harmony in the country in the name of bigotry and extremism. "We consider it as a regrettable but isolated incident."
Labor Rights
Dr Momen shared with Secretary Blinken some recent developments concerning the issue of labor rights.
Currently, Bangladesh is closely working with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and our partners to further improve the labor situation in the country.
A few months back, Bangladesh submitted an action-oriented and time-bound Roadmap on the labor sector reforms in Bangladesh spanning over a period from 2021 to 2026 (copy enclosed).
"Now, we are in the process of the implementation of the Roadmap. All these actions certainly underline the seriousness of our government's commitment to promoting and protecting labor rights in the country," Dr Momen mentioned n his letter.
As Bangladesh and the USA prepare to celebrate the 50 anniversary of relationship next year, the Foreign Minister said, he would like to surmount all stumbling blocks standing in the way with mutual trust and confidence in order for ushering in a new chapter of cooperation and partnership.
"I echo your words that we have a large window of opportunities to work jointly, including in the areas of climate change, peacekeeping, democracy, human rights, Rohingya issue, COVID-19 pandemic, etc," he mentioned.
Dr Momen said they can be proud that, during the pandemic, the two countries have set a shining example of excellent bilateral relations standing by each other, including through providing medical equipment and vaccines.
In his letter, Dr Momen wished Secretary Blinken and his family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2022.