US Department of State
US doesn’t endorse one political party over another in Bangladesh: State Department
The United States has reiterated that it does not endorse one political party or candidate over another in Bangladesh.
"And as we have said, the US supports free and fair elections in Bangladesh as well as around the world, and we do not endorse one political party or candidate over another," Principal Deputy Spokesperson of US Department of State Vedant Patel said in a regular media briefing on May 2.
He also said, "Broadly what I will say is that the US doesn’t consider it interference to have honest dialogue with our friends and partners about concerns that we have and shared interests that we have that may or may [not] impact the bilateral relationship, that may – may or may [not] impact regional concerns and regional priorities.”
Also Read: US calls upcoming national election an 'internal' affair of Bangladesh
Patel said the US embassy in Dhaka acts as an envoy for bilateral relationship with Bangladesh as well as all US embassies around the world do.
"And what I will note – you heard me speak to this yesterday – Bangladesh is a country of great importance to us. It’s a country we are interested in deepening our relationships with," Patel said.
In 2022, the two countries celebrated 50 years of bilateral relationship, and they believe that there are a number of issues in which they can continue to deepen cooperation – not just with the Bangladeshi government, with the Bangladeshi people as well, he said.
Also Read: Stop targeting truth, truth-tellers: UN Chief on World Press Freedom Day
Patel mentioned addressing the threat of climate change, deepening economic ties, and security concerns as it relates to the Indo-Pacific.
Responding to a question, Patel said, "That’s our expectation for any country in the world, is that for elections to take place and for them to happen freely, fairly, and as you said, with neutrality as well, and for them to be conducted with neutrality, as I might add."
US calls upcoming national election an 'internal' affair of Bangladesh
The US does not want to comment on Bangladesh’s forthcoming national election, noting that it is an “internal, domestic election.”
“I don’t have anything else to get into that beyond as it’s an internal, domestic election,” Deputy Principal Spokesperson at US Department of State Vedant Patel has said.
He came up with the remarks when a journalist wanted to know how the US would navigate a situation where, in Bangladesh, another party refuses to participate in a national election and may later claim it to be an “unfair and unjust election.”
Read: Not endorsing one political party vs another in Bangladesh: US State Dept says
Patel, however, said, as it relates to elections, US want them to be free and fair and to be reflective of the will of the Bangladeshi people.
“I will say broadly, though, is that the US and Bangladesh last year celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations, and we look forward to continuing to deepen those relationships,” he said at a regular media briefing at the US Department of State on Monday.
Patel said that Dhaka and Washington have a number of areas where they have the possibility for immense cooperation and engagement – whether that be climate change, whether that be the economy, addressing the humanitarian crisis, and other things as well.
Read: US State Department ‘deeply concerned over use of Digital Security Act’
Not endorsing one political party vs another in Bangladesh: US State Dept says
While reiterating that any abuser of human rights should be held accountable, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the US Department of State Vedant Patel has said, “Broadly, the U.S. supports the principle of free and fair elections in Bangladesh and around the world, but I’m not here to endorse one political candidate or party versus another.”
He was speaking at a regular briefing in Washington.
"It’s our immense hope that the Bangladesh Government does look into the contents of this article and video (DW documentary on RAB)," Patel said.
He said as per their assessment, the Digital Security Act is "one of the world’s most draconian laws" for journalists.
Read: US State Department ‘deeply concerned over use of Digital Security Act’
World Press Freedom Index ranked Bangladesh 162 out of 180 countries, a drop of 10 places from the previous year, Patel said.
"And we have made our concerns about this law quite clear. A free press and an informed citizenry are key for any nation and its democratic future," he said.
The US Embassy in Dhaka shared updates on the briefing today.
Read: PM Hasina to visit Japan on April 25-28
Petal said they want to and are looking forward to deepening their relationship with Bangladesh.
That’s why, he said, Secretary Blinken met Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.
"We, again, are looking forward to deepening our relationship with Bangladesh as a whole," he added.
Read more; Pranay Verma highlights “deep bonds of friendship, cooperation” with Bangladesh
New prog “Welcome Corps” launched enabling Americans to sponsor refugees
The US Department of State, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, has launched the Welcome Corps, a new private sponsorship program that will enable Americans to sponsor refugees arriving through the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), directly support their resettlement, and make a difference by welcoming these new neighbors into their communities.
This program invites Americans to be partners and guides to refugees as they build new lives in the United States and help them realize their full potential.
“In the face of unprecedented global displacement, the United States will continue to lead the international community in humanitarian response, including refugee resettlement,” said US Department of State Antony J. Blinken on Thursday.
Read more: Laubacher's visit underscores US commitment to strengthening ties with Bangladesh: US Embassy
By launching the Welcome Corps, he said, they build on a proud tradition of providing refuge and demonstrate the spirit and generosity of the American people as we commit to welcoming refugees in need of their support.
“In the program’s first year, our goal is to mobilize at least 10,000 Americans to step forward as private sponsors and offer a welcoming hand to at least 5,000 refugees from around the world,” Blinken said.
The Welcome Corps will build on the “extraordinary response” of the American people over the past year in welcoming our Afghan allies, Ukrainians displaced by war, Venezuelans, and others fleeing violence and oppression.
Read more: Human rights are at the center of US foreign policy: US Embassy
The Welcome Corps is the boldest innovation in refugee resettlement in four decades and it is designed to strengthen and expand the capacity of the USRAP by harnessing the energy and talents of Americans from all walks of life desiring to serve as private sponsors – ranging from members of faith and civic groups, veterans, diaspora communities, businesses, colleges and universities, and more.
Many people over-exaggerating impact of sanctions: US ambassador
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas thinks that many people are “over-exaggerating” the impact of the sanctions imposed on the elite force Rab and some officials but acknowledges that it did have an impact on the overall relations.
“Yes, the sanctions did have an impact. I think many people are over-exaggerating the impact because the relationship we have is so broad and we deal with so many issues,” he told Voice of America Bangla Service in an interview at the US Department of State.
He said the sanctions is one issue but they continue to work very closely under the security front.
Ambassador Haas said the US stopped providing training to the Rab in 2018 because of concerns as they want to see accountability for the past human rights violations and to reform the Rab so that it does not repeat the same.
On December 10, 2021, Human Rights Day, the United States imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion and some of its serving as well as former officials, based on what the US said was "credible evidence" of serious human rights abuses.
The US envoy said over the past few months the two countries had partnership dialogue, security dialogue, military partnership and high level economic dialogue. “We are cooperating deeply and aggressively on those fronts.”
The US ambassador reiterated the importance of free media and the challenges in Bangladesh.
He said the government-to-government relationship is important but businesses, education and family ties are far more important.
This year, 2022, Bangladesh and the United States are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken kicked off a busy program of engagements for the year ahead by marking the milestone during their meeting on April 4 in Washington, DC.
Also read: Will be happy if sanctions on Rab withdrawn: FM
Bangladesh saw a decline in terrorist activity in 2020: US report
Bangladesh experienced a decrease in terrorist activity in 2020, accompanied by an increase in terrorism-related investigations and arrests, says a new US report shared by the US Department of State on its website on Thursday.
In 2020, there were three specific terrorist incidents, resulting in no deaths, according to the “Country Reports on Terrorism 2020”. The “Country Reports on Terrorism 2019” was published on June 24, 2020.
The Bangladesh government continued to articulate a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and the use of its territory as a terrorist safe haven, according to the report.
In January, the government’s new national Antiterrorism Unit began standing up operations, to eventually assume a role as a lead counterterrorism agency.
Bangladesh cooperated with the United States to strengthen control over its borders and ports of entry, says the US report.
The United States and Bangladesh continue to work on building Bangladesh’s technical capacity to develop a national-level “Alert List” of known or suspected terrorists, it says.
Read: Effective counter-terrorism efforts must be complemented by genuine political will: Dhaka
US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken in a press statement on Thursday said the Department of State issued the 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism (CRT), which provides a detailed look at the counterterrorism environment last year, fulfilling an important Congressional mandate.
Each year, the CRT provides insight on important issues in the fight against terrorism and helps the United States make informed decisions about policies, programmes, and resource allocations as we seek to build counterterrorism capacity and resilience around the globe, the statement reads.
Read: People did neither accept nor like sanctions on RAB: Momen to Blinken
Bangladesh seeks US partnership in vaccine production
PM’s Adviser for Private Industry and Investment Salman F Rahman has sought the assistance from the US government to encourage their vaccine-producing companies to partner with capable pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh.
Recalling the two countries’ close cooperation in combating Covid-19 since the early days of the pandemic, Adviser Rahman stressed scaling up of the global production of the Covid-19 vaccines and other pandemic management equipment to tackle the virus.
He also stated that Bangladesh is ready to make necessary investments for the capacity enhancement of pharmaceutical companies for such partnerships.
Adviser Rahman and Senior Official for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment of the US Department of State Ambassador Marcia Bernicat discussed ways to have stronger collaboration on Covid-19 front.
Bangladesh and the US have expressed willingness to work more closely to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, including partnership, in vaccine production.
Read: Countries like Bangladesh need support for vaccine production: FM
Bangladesh will continue to attract foreign investments, defying downturn: US
Bangladesh will remain the most resilient and continue to attract foreign direct investments (FDI) to live up to its image as a favourite place for global investors, despite the Covid-induced economic downturn. This inference can be drawn from a new report released by the US Department of State.
The US Department of State released the ‘2021 Investment Climate Statements’ on Wednesday that mentioned Bangladesh’s sustained economic growth over the past decade, a large, young, and hard-working workforce, strategic location between the large South and Southeast Asian markets, and the presence of a vibrant private sector.
The government's efforts in Bangladesh to improve the business environment in recent years show promise but implementation has yet to materialise, according to the report that analyses the investment climate in more than 170 global economies that are current or potential markets for US companies.
Read:BGMEA discusses export, FDI opportunities with Bangladesh envoy
Bangladesh has made gradual progress in reducing some constraints on investment, including taking steps to better ensure reliable electricity, but inadequate infrastructure, limited financing instruments, bureaucratic delays, lax enforcement of labour laws, and corruption continue to hinder foreign investment, the report stated.
Slow adoption of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and sluggish judicial processes impede the enforcement of contracts and the resolution of business disputes, as per the report.
Buoyed by a young workforce and a growing consumer base, Bangladesh has enjoyed consistent annual GDP growth of more than six percent over the past decade, with the exception of the Covid-induced economic slowdown in 2020, the report mentioned.
Much of this growth continues to be driven by the ready-made garment (RMG) industry, which exported $28.0 billion of apparel products in FY 2020, and continued remittance inflows, reaching a record $18.2 billion in FY 2020, as per the US report.
However, the country’s RMG exports dropped more than 18 percent year-on-year in FY 2020 as Covid depressed the global demand for apparel products.
We respect Bangladesh’s right to make foreign policy decisions for itself: US
The United States has taken note of Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming's recent remarks over "Quad" saying that the US respects Bangladesh’s right to make foreign policy decisions for itself.
"What we would say is that we respect Bangladesh’s sovereignty, and we respect Bangladesh’s right to make foreign policy decisions for itself," Spokesperson at the US Department of State Ned Price said in a regular briefing on Tuesday.
Price said they have an incredibly strong relationship with Bangladesh and work closely with their partners there on a range of issues --from economic growth to climate change to humanitarian issues.
Also read: Ambassador Li meets FS; explains his remarks
"And when it comes to the Quad, we’ve said this before, but the Quad, it’s an informal, essential, multilateral mechanism that right now conveys – convenes likeminded democracies – the United States, India, Australia, and Japan – to coordinate in the Indo-Pacific, and fundamentally, to push forward our goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific region," said the Spokesperson.
Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming on Wednesday met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and explained his remarks made during the DCAB discussions.
The meeting was held after a vaccine handover ceremony at state guesthouse Padma.
Also read: It's very regrettable, says FM on China's Quad remarks
They discussed different bilateral issues, including Covid cooperation, between the two countries, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB.
They highlighted the importance of the growing relationship between the two countries.
On Monday, the Ambassador attended a programme hosted by Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) and talked about a number of issues, including vaccine cooperation.
Also read: Beijing wants Dhaka not to join Quad
The envoy, while responding to a question, also talked about Quad, an initiative of four countries- the United States, Japan, India and Australia, that was followed by a reaction by Dhaka.
Ambassador Li said obviously it will not be a good idea for Bangladesh to participate in this small club of four countries because it will "substantially damage" the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
“So, we don’t like to see any form of participation by Bangladesh to this small group of countries,” said the envoy.