The United States is also almost surprised by the surprise of Bangladesh.
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| The United States is also almost surprised by the surprise of Bangladesh. |
The US ambassador to Dhaka, Peter Haas, said the US was "almost surprised" to witness Bangladesh's surprise at the RAB prohibition. Because the US has been pressing the topic of human rights issues in RAB actions for years, this is the case. The prohibition on RAB, according to the US ambassador, will have no impact on the two countries' ties.
On Friday evening, Peter Haas made the remarks during the US Embassy's new program. During the first episode of the interview, Carla Thomas, an embassy spokesman, questioned Peter Has.
Ambassador Peter Haas talked on a variety of topics, including democracy, human rights, elections, and Bangladesh's future connections. If the relationship is to progress, he believes that problems on which the two sides have differing viewpoints should be talked honestly.
When asked about the two countries' security cooperation and the RAB ban, Peter Haas said he didn't think people were paying enough attention to the RAB prohibition. They are ignoring other concerns that have arisen as a result of their cooperation. In law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and marine security, the two countries work together. In these areas, there is extensive and long-term cooperation.
The ambassador stated, "We give training for the courts, attorneys, and police." We are really eager to continue and expand our training and relationship in the days ahead because we are doing so much of it. However, there remains the problem of the Rapid Action Battalion. Where we put a moratorium in place last December. We've heard numerous times since then how startled Bangladesh is. Perhaps we are nearly taken aback by their astonishment.
Peter Haas explained the reason for the surprise by stating that the US had discontinued training RAB in 2018. It was done in the name of human rights. For numerous years, these concerns have been stated in their human rights reports. The US has brought up these issues in a number of bilateral encounters. As a result, while the embargo was unexpected, it should not have come as a surprise to the US.
On December 10 of last year, the US slapped sanctions on seven former and current RAB officers for significant human rights violations. Bangladesh has been pleading with the US to ease the embargo.
There are many uncertainties, according to the US ambassador, concerning whether the sanctions will impact bilateral relations between the US and Bangladesh. "I just tell them that has to happen," he continued, "but I don't think so." This is just one of the many areas where we work together.
According to Peter Haas, there are numerous disagreements between the two countries. It's natural for such a deep and vast friendship to have such a struggle. Sitting and talking about every issue, including what has to be done to remedy this issue, with RAB. We may have expressed what we wanted, and the Bangladesh government may have responded by saying no, we are unable to do so. As a sovereign state, this is also true. Even then, we'll carry the relationship forward, and there will be times when we ask for something and they say no. Even so, the connection will progress.
During the interview, Ambassador Peter Haas was asked about the United States' expectations for Bangladesh's upcoming national elections. The envoy said he had no qualms about admitting that US democracy was not without flaws.
Following the assassination of George Floyd in the United States, he added, there was a lot of self-reflection and debate about the role of the police, their procedures and practices, and their accountability. This is a battle that must be waged and freely contested throughout the United States. This is how the people in the United States felt about the recent presidential election. There have been accusations of deception. In court, a case has been filed. All of this has been done to ensure the survival of democracy.
According to Peter Haas, there are some difficulties in Bangladesh that the people and government can work to resolve.
He went on to say, "I also want to make it plain that the United States has no choice." The United States has no preference for one political party or forum over another. It's also not the result of American efforts. However, we want to know what the Bangladeshi people desire. That is, an international-standard election will be held, in which the people of Bangladesh will be allowed to chose their next leader in a free, competitive, nonviolent, and non-repressive manner.
According to Peter Haas, this may appear to be simple to understand, but it is not. "That's exactly what we're looking for," he stated. Some hints, yes, some hints, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes Bangladesh's Foreign Minister, AK Abdul Momen, made it clear that international observers would be welcome. It's crucial, in my opinion.
One of the greatest difficulties that the Bangladesh government often brings up is the urge to re-introduce the GSP facility," Peter Haas remarked when asked about the disparities between the two countries on trade. Bangladesh was stripped of its GSP in 2013 as a result of the Rana Plaza catastrophe. We have stated repeatedly that prior to the commencement of GSP, Bangladesh took steps to protect employees' interests, labor rights, and safety. Bangladesh, unfortunately, has yet to meet them. They, on the other hand, are always clamoring for the GSP barrier to be removed.
Bangladesh would not be eligible for funds from the new US Development Finance Corporation unless it met the GSP criteria, according to the ambassador. For a variety of reasons, new development financing corporations have been established. Its equity-based financing includes providing political risk insurance, but it can also be debt-based funding for projects. Large infrastructure projects, highways, renewable energy, information and communication technologies, the healthcare industry, and vaccine production are common examples.
Both the United States and Bangladesh, according to Peter Haas, were founded on democratic ideas. As a result, the two countries are heavily involved in the matter. The United States has worries about Bangladesh as well, and they are not afraid to express them. However, these debates must be open and transparent, and participants must be aware that they are being worked on.
I'm delighted to see what the next 50 years could be like," Peter Haas stated when asked about his future priorities. We are ready to go as quickly as Bangladesh is willing to move forward in this collaboration. We're interested in collaborating in a variety of other areas as well. On the military side, we undertake a lot of joint exercises with Bangladesh, and the military, where Bangladesh leads peacekeeping operations throughout the world, where we can learn and understand better through joint operations, special operations, disaster relief, and other challenges. We'd like to work on selling military equipment as well.
