US heartened by Bangladesh's welcoming response to its visa policy
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the United States Department of State, said the US was heartened by the Bangladesh government's welcoming response to the new US visa policy to promote fair elections.
"We believe that democracy is the most enduring means to advance peace, prosperity, and security. It's why we made the announcement, and we look forward to working with the Bangladeshi government going forward," said Matthew Miller in reply to a question during a regular press briefing at the US Department of State on Thursday (25 May).
When asked if the US would urge the opposition party in Bangladesh to take part in the upcoming election, the US spokesperson said, "I'm not going to say what any political party within Bangladesh should or should not do. I will say that the United States' interest in this question is in support of free and fair and peaceful elections. That's why we announced the new policy that we did yesterday."
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in this regard on Thursday, saying that Bangladesh expects the newly announced US visa policy will not be applied arbitrarily in a non-objective manner.
It said, "The Government of Bangladesh has taken note of the announcement made by the US Secretary of State on a visa restriction policy pursuant to the so-called 3C provision under the US Immigration and Act. Bangladesh would like to view this announcement in the broader context of its government's unequivocal commitment to holding free and fair elections at all levels for upholding the country's democratic process. However, Bangladesh expects that such visa policy will not be applied arbitrarily in a non-objective manner."
