US' desire to see fulfilment of Bangladeshis' aspirations unchanged

The White House said yesterday that nothing has changed about its desires to see that the aspirations of the Bangladeshi people are met, and that includes being able to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections.

"We obviously still believe in the importance of viable, vibrant democratic institutions all over the world. And nothing has changed about our desires to see that the aspirations of the Bangladeshi people are met, and that includes being able to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections," said the US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby at a briefing early today.

He made the comment when a journalist asked for Washington's response to concerns about the Biden administration's limitations on democracy promotion in Bangladesh in light of the earlier commitment to taking all necessary steps to reflect the will of the people of Bangladesh.

The US announced a visa policy for Bangladesh in May last year, saying those undermining elections will be denied visas. Over the last two years, the US repeated calls for free, fair and peaceful elections.

After the January 7 election, which was boycotted by the opposition BNP, Washington said the polls were not free and fair. However, it also spoke about the commitment of supporting Bangladesh's democracy, human rights, economic relations as well as deepen the relations under the broader Indo-Pacific vision.