New dimension of relationship
Picture: Barta24
Much of the dark cloud that was seen around the Bangladesh-US relationship around the 12th Jatiya Sangsad(JS) elections has been removed. The election is done. Various sanctions of supposed danger did not come on Bangladesh. Discussions about the visa ban, fears about labor policy have begun to fade. Talks of sanctions have largely faded away; instead talks of mutual cooperation now dominate. The message of 'advancing relations' has been echoed by the US, and there are some signs of this.
After the election of January 7, the new government has started working in full swing. The US Embassy in Dhaka has responded to every invitation of the government, starting from the swearing-in ceremony of the cabinet. The distance between the embassies and the government, which were almost 'face-to-face', has reduced. Face-to-face though, its scope is limited in practical terms. But the use of the word face is not an exaggeration given the American over-interest in Bangladesh politics and elections, media prominence, and the reaction from the top levels of government to the US embassy run. That situation is pretty much over. Now the distance between America and the government does not seem to be the same as before.
America has not commented positively on the 12th JS election. They criticized the government's crackdown on opposition parties. No official message congratulated the new government. However, he did not comment that he will not work with the government. US President Joe Biden has sent a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina despite not congratulating her. In a letter written to Sheikh Hasina in the first week of February, Joe Biden expressed his 'confidence to work with Dhaka in establishing a partnership to achieve the common dream of establishing a free and open Indo-Pacific region while supporting Bangladesh in achieving its ambitious economic goals'.
Biden wrote, 'As we begin the next chapter in the US-Bangladesh partnership, I want to express my sincere desire for our administration to work together on many other issues, including regional and global security, economic development, climate change and energy, global health, humanitarian assistance, especially the Rohingya refugees. Describing the relationship between the two countries as a foundation of cooperation, the US President said, 'We have a long and successful history of working together to solve problems. And the basis of our relationship is the strong relationship between the people of the two countries.
This letter of Biden has poured water on the fear of the US sanctions against Bangladesh, the expectations of the anti-government section. It is true that there are no congratulations in the letter, but the commitment to work here is mainly seen as the government's achievement and the path to the future.
Not only is this letter from Joe Biden, a high-level US delegation of three members currently visiting Bangladesh. It includes Elin Laubacher, Special Assistant to US President Joe Biden and Senior Director for South Asia at the National Security Council (NSC), Michael Schiffer, Assistant Administrator of USAID's Bureau of Asian Affairs Afrin Akhter, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia at the Department of State.
The US Embassy in Dhaka said in a press release that the delegation will discuss with the Government of Bangladesh on strengthening diplomatic relations, addressing challenges and common vision for the advancement of mutual interests in the Indo-Pacific region. During the visit, they will also meet with youth activists, civil society, labor organizers and those engaged in the development of free media, from the highest levels of government.
The head of the delegation, Elin Laubacher, told reporters that the US delegation is visiting Dhaka to further the ongoing relationship between Bangladesh and the United States. Foreign Minister Dr. Mohammad Hasan Mahmud told reporters after the meeting with the delegation, "We discussed how to deepen our relationship and how to strengthen the new era of relations." They also want to develop relations with us. The most important thing is to start a new chapter in the relationship. We also want to start a new chapter in the relationship. As both countries have the will, both of our countries will benefit from the closer, deeper development of this relationship.
The US delegation's visit, however, was not scheduled until after the election and Joe Biden's letter. This happened two months before the election, last October. However, there is no doubt that the letter of US President Joe Biden has an influence on this visit of the delegation. It is believed that if Biden's letter had not arrived after the election, their schedule for the trip could have been different. The delegation met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F. Rahman, where the same was said; Moving the relationship forward. The adviser to the Prime Minister claimed that there was no discussion about the recently concluded elections in this meeting.
Salman F. Rahman told reporters, "Some days ago, Joe Biden sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. He said there, he wants to deepen the relationship between the two countries and start a new chapter. The delegation visiting Bangladesh also said the same thing. The election is now a thing of the past. They did not say anything about it, nor did we?
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Organizing secretary Shama Obaid met with the visiting US delegation. Naturally, the government, elections and the political situation of the country were discussed there. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said, 'They invited us, we came, we talked.' In response to the question of what was discussed about the election, Amir Khosru said, "Nothing to say". The frustration of BNP leaders is clear here. US Ambassador to Dhaka Peter Haas was also present in the meeting.
Joe Biden's letter, the US delegation's 'message to advance relations' and the BNP leaders' 'nothing to say' comments - the government's uneasiness or apprehension about the US is diminishing a lot. The visit is a message to bring the two countries closer together. Through this, the government is getting a lot of relief from various restrictions including visa ban, labor policy concerns. Besides, it has made the anti-government party very uncomfortable.
