DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

Washington reiterated the importance of free and fair elections in Bangladesh as Dhaka informed a bilateral dialogue about various measures taken by the Election Commission to this end.

The US was critical of the last two national elections for alleged irregularities, and top US officials again called for the next polls to be held late this year or early next year.

The US also appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment to free and fair elections as well as her openness to engaging international election monitors.

The matter was discussed during the US-Bangladesh 9th Partnership Dialogue, co-chaired by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

The dialogue took place when Hasina is in the US to celebrate 50 years of partnership with the World Bank.

A State Department statement said, “Nuland reiterated US commitment to promoting human rights, labour rights, and freedom of expression in Bangladesh. And both sides reiterated their commitment to a growing partnership across a range of political, economic, environmental, and security issues.”

Masud Bin Momen shared some developments in Bangladesh’s recent human rights performance and called for lifting the sanctions on Rab and extraditing Rashed Chowdhury, the self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu.

Washington has also been critical of the Digital Security Act, and Nuland acknowledged Dhaka’s announcement of reviewing the DSA by this year.

Dhaka demanded reinstatement of GSP facility, while Washington expressed concerns over the freedom of trade unions and the living wage in Bangladesh.

Nuland also assured continued humanitarian support for the Rohingyas.

Both sides agreed to further scale up the resettlement programme for some of the most vulnerable Rohingyas.