US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Uzra Zeya arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday on her three-day maiden Bangladesh visit to discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya crisis, labour issues, human rights, free and fair polls, and combating trafficking in persons.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen welcomed the US under secretary of state on her arrival at Dhaka airport. US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas was also present there.
“She is scheduled to hold various meetings at government and private levels and visit the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar,” the foreign ministry tweeted.
She will visit the Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar on Wednesday as the Rohingya issue remains one of the top priorities of her visit.
The US under secretary is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman apart from her meetings with Law and Home Ministers and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen.
"We look forward to robust discussions with the government on a host of issues, humanitarian cooperation, the elections process, and I think our hope for a peaceful, free and fair elections process," Zeya told the Hindustan Times in an interview before her arrival in Dhaka.
She also mentioned the nexus between Bangladesh's economic progress and prosperity, which has been the subject of a very substantial and multi-decade development partnership, and the critical role of respect for labour rights and freedom of association towards achieving Bangladesh's ambitions.
Zeya said they share a convergent approach and commitment with their Indian friends, through new groupings such as the Quad, to support a free and open Indo-Pacific that is "more prosperous, more secure, more connected, more inclusive, more resilient."
"I can't go into too much detail on our diplomatic discussions, but certainly this is integral to regional peace and security and stability, another shared vocation for both of our governments," Zeya said.
The United States has said holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh is a "shared desire" of the two friendly countries.
"It's a desire that we share as a friend and partner of Bangladesh for over 50 years," said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a regular briefing at the State Department on Monday.
He noted that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has repeatedly stated her own commitment to free and fair elections.
"I don't know why anyone would object to us calling for free and fair elections," Miller said, apparently referring to statements that came from Russia, China and Iranian media.
Miller reiterated that they do not support one political party over the other. "We support a genuine democratic process."
"We don't consider it interference in internal affairs when other countries raise our elections process with us. We welcome those discussions as an opportunity to strengthen our democracy, and we don't know why any other countries would object," he added.
Asked whether US Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary Donald Lu will engage with the ruling party and the opposition party BNP, Miller said she will meet with senior government officials to discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya refugee crisis, labour issues, human rights, free and fair elections, and combating trafficking in persons.
US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID Änjali Kaur are part of the US delegation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Zeya leads global diplomatic efforts to strengthen democracy, advance universal human rights, support refugees and humanitarian relief, promote rule of law and counter-narcotics cooperation, fight corruption and intolerance, prevent armed conflict, and eliminate human trafficking.
