The newly appointed US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Earl Robert Miller, hopes the next general election in Bangladesh will be credible and peaceful.
“We hope the next election will be free, fair, credible, and peaceful," he said, when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official Ganabhaban residence on Monday, reports UNB.
The US envoy also said there will be 32 US election observers to monitor polls in the country as the US Embassy will arrange a total of 11 teams in this regard.
The PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
Karim said: “The 11th general election of Bangladesh came up in the discussions during the meeting.”
Regarding the Rohingya issue, the US Ambassador re-affirmed: "The USA will continue its support to Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue.”
He said there should be an environment in Myanmar such that the Rohingyas could return to their homeland safely.
Terming Bangladesh-US relations strong, he also said the USA wants to cooperate with Bangladesh in the energy and education sectors.
While describing the struggles of Bangladesh to establish democracy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cited the peaceful handover of power by the Awami League government in 2001 as a rare incident in the history of Bangladesh.
She said: “Before the 2014 elections, the government offered the opposition some ministries in the polls-time cabinet, but they, in return, went for violence, arson, and killing people. During the current election campaign, I’ve asked my party people to have patience,” adding that two of her party have already died in election violence.
Hasina sought the cooperation of the US Ambassador in resuming the Dhaka-New York flight.
About the education sector, she said the government has ensured the distribution of free textbooks among students up to the secondary school level.
The prime minister said if her party is voted into power in the coming elections, the government will raise the GDP rate to 8% in the next fiscal year.
