White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby has said President Joe Biden is closely following the ongoing situation in Bangladesh.
"We’re watching this very, very, very closely, and the president is following events closely as well," Kirby said during a press briefing at the White House on Thursday.
The statement came in response to a question about Hindu American groups' protests, including outside the White House, against alleged violence targeting Hindus in Bangladesh following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's regime. The journalist, Lalit K Jha, chief US correspondent for the Press Trust of India, asked Kirby whether the US president was aware of these issues and whether he addressed them with Bangladesh interim government leader Dr Muhammad Yunus during their meeting at the UN sidelines.
Kirby further emphasized the US’s stance on human rights, saying that the protection of religious and ethnic minorities is a top priority.
"The security situation in Bangladesh has been difficult following the ouster of the former prime minister, and we’ve been working closely with the interim government to enhance the capability of their law enforcement and security services to deal with the challenge.
"We’ve been very clear in our engagement with all Bangladeshi leaders that protection of religious and ethnic minorities is absolutely critical, and the leaders of the interim government have repeatedly committed to providing security to all Bangladeshis, regardless of religion or ethnicity," the official added.
In a recent meeting at the United Nations, Biden reportedly discussed the situation with Yunus. However, the details of the conversation remain private.