Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said that they have no disagreement with Washington over holding a free and fair elections and that complaining to foreigners will bring no benefits to the opposition BNP.
He made the comment as a BNP delegation led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul islam Alamgir met US ambassador Peter Haas on Sunday.
“These are very unfortunate. They should go to voters at the grassroots. Foreigners will not cast votes. People of Bangladesh will do that,” the foreign minister said while replying to a question.
Referring to his recent bilateral meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, he said they have no disagreement with the US over holding a free and fair election.
“US wants free and fair elections and we also want the same. We are at the same level. There is no difference,” he said.
He said the US wants to strengthen its economic relations with Bangladesh and that’s why they sent Peter Haas as its ambassador in Dhaka.
“He is an expert on trade and investment issues. We hope efforts on trade development will be expedited and the ambassador will emphasise on it,” he said, adding that they do not feel any pressure amid repeated calls from the US for holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
“No pressure. We are very happy. We want free and fair elections. It’s our own commitment.”
He said he also encouraged the US side to send election observers as many as they want. “We are open to observers.”
He, however, said the government and the Election Commission alone cannot ensure a free and fair election but it requires sincerity and commitment from all political parties.
