DHAKA, Nov 3, 2020 (BSS) – Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen today said outcomes of today’s US election would not hurt the existing stable and up trending close Dhaka-Washington cooperation as the ties do not depend on any US individual president or party.
“US’s relationship does not depend on individual or party … such (Bangladesh-US) relationship goes through an institutional framework, said foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen today.
The foreign secretary made the remarks at a briefing to the members of Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB), moderated by its President Angur Nahar Monty at the foreign ministry here.
Over 99 million of people have already voted to elect the US president for the next four years.
Donald Trump is trying to avoid becoming the first incumbent president to lose a re-election fight since George HW Bush in 1992 while national polls show Democratic candidate Joe Biden with a broad lead.
Foreign secretary said Bangladesh is hopeful about continuing the existing economic ties with United States and put its efforts to restore trade preferences in the US market that remained suspended.
US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E Biegun recently paid a three-day Dhaka tour after New Delhi when he indicated that his country treats Bangladesh as a “centerpiece” in South Asia.
During the visit, Masud said all the discussions were taken place in line with US Department of State’s policy without focusing any US political parties’ point of view.
After the visit, Biegun said they have an intervening election that will happen but he reiterates his confidence that regardless of the outcome of their elections, the future is quite bright for relations between the United States and Bangladesh and India.
Earlier, Bangladesh foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said the United States set outline of its relations with Dhaka under a “well plotted strategy” while past instances suggested the change of administration after presidential elections there make no rapid change in US foreign policy.
“Whoever comes (to power in US) hopefully will follow the same policy (towards Bangladesh),” he told newsmen after holding a meeting with Biegun in Dhaka last month.
International relations analyst Professor Lailufar Yasmin of Dhaka University said US policy towards Bangladesh is unlikely to be changed whoever takes the Whitehouse – Republicans or Demarcates.
“The US-Bangladesh relations whether it is under Trump administration or Obama administration didn’t change … now they (US) took IPS (Indo Pacific Strategy) but there was no change in Bangladesh’s geopolitical strategic significance,” she told BSS.
She pointed out that in his election campaign President Donald Trump’s rival Joe Biden is also speaking against China in line with his party’s foreign policy.