‘US very excited about upcoming election’

Newly appointed US Ambassador to Dhaka Brent Christensen has said that the United States looks forward to working with all Bangladeshi political parties to advance shared peace and prosperity.

He made the comment in a post on X after meeting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman yesterday, his first meeting with a political leader since arriving on January 12.

“I met today with BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman to hear his perspective on upcoming elections,” he said.

Ambassador Christensen arrived in Dhaka on January 12, two days after taking the oath of office in Washington, DC.

After an hour-long meeting between the BNP chief and the US ambassador, BNP Joint Secretary General Humayun Kabir told reporters that a democratic transition was underway and would continue. 

“The US is very excited about the upcoming national election. It is satisfied with the environment and believes Bangladesh is moving towards a good process…” he said while addressing a press briefing.

Humayun said the meeting discussed ways to improve Bangladesh–United States bilateral relations, particularly in trade and investment. He added, “The US would remain an important development partner for Bangladesh.”

Humayun also said Tarique and the US ambassador discussed the Rohingya issue.

“They discussed how the Rohingya issue could be resolved in the future through a multilateral process. The issue was described as a matter of national security and one of the top priorities, with emphasis on seeking multilateral support.”

The meeting also covered development cooperation, ways to strengthen bilateral relations, trade and investment, as well as vocational and technical education, he added.

Meanwhile, a delegation of European Union countries also met Tarique Rahman. The delegation was led by European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller.

Ambassadors of Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, and Italy were also present at the meeting.

Responding to a question regarding the EU meeting, Humayun said, “In the next election, people will get the opportunity to vote after 17 years. Many ambassadors have never seen a democratic election. Through a transparent and accountable election, Bangladesh will come out of its dark past of the last 15 years and move towards a new horizon.”

Earlier, Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ajit Singh met Tarique Rahman and BNP leaders, where they discussed progress towards a peaceful and inclusive democratic transition through the upcoming election.

High Commissioner Singh underscored Canada’s desire to work with the interim government and the next elected government to build on the momentum created by economic, financial, judicial, and labour reforms, to deepen bilateral relations, and to create a better future for people in both countries.

Canada has been a longstanding advocate for free, fair, inclusive, and participatory elections in Bangladesh, said the High Commission on its official page.

In the last 12 days, Tarique met Swiss Ambassador Reto Renggli, Brazilian Ambassador Paulo Fernando Dias Feres, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma, Germany’s Ambassador Rüdiger Lotz, Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Riley, Pakistani High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider, and Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Yao Wen, among others.