Commenting that there is no place for political violence in a democracy, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said that Bangladesh and the United States are working together to achieve the goal of a free and fair election. We have always highlighted this issue. It is an important aspect of our bilateral relationship.
He said this in response to a journalist's question on the issue of summoning 13 foreign ambassadors assigned to Bangladesh to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a regular briefing at the US State Department on Wednesday (July 26).
That journalist wanted to know from Vedant Patel - If I look at the media of Bangladesh, I will see that the attack on an independent candidate in the by-election of Dhaka-17 seat has been condemned by the heads of 13 foreign missions including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. That is why they were summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Earlier on July 20, the UN Resident Coordinator was summoned.
You are calling for free and fair elections. Western allies and development partners are also demanding free and fair elections. But the government is going in a different direction.
In response, Vedanta Patel said political violence has no place in a democracy and the United States does not favor any political party. We support Bangladesh's goal of holding a free, fair and peaceful election.
He said, we have always emphasized the importance of the United States and Bangladesh working together to achieve the goal of free and fair elections in Bangladesh. It is an important aspect of our bilateral relations. We believe that free and fair elections are a shared priority, and many Bangladeshi government officials, including the Prime Minister, have themselves stated that this is their goal.