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BANGLADESH-US-BIDEN
Dhaka hopes stronger ties with US under Biden administration
DHAKA, Nov 8, 2020 (BSS) – Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today hoped that ties between Dhaka and Washington DC would further strengthen under the upcoming Biden administration.
“We hope they (Biden administration) will boost its ties with us accepting Bangladesh as a very powerful country geopolitically and as an emerging nation,” he told reporters while commenting on the result of the US presidential election.
Democrat Joe Biden, who won the US presidential election according to projections of the US’s leading media outlets today, said he will unify the American society and make the US respected around the world again.
Under the Biden administration, Bangladesh foreign minister expected positive multilateralism approach from the US on climate, immigration, trade and investment issues that was relatively missing during the Thump tenure.
He hope that the Biden administration will be more vocal in resolving Rohingya crisis as the democrats focus more on human rights issues
Mentioning that Climate is an important issue for Bangladesh, Dr Momen said Biden understands climate issues well as he has already expressed his commitment to return to Paris Agreement.
The foreign minister said Biden comes to power at a good time when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the head of the Forum of 48 climate vulnerable countries.
“His (Biden) outlook is very transparent. He promotes what he believes with much emphasis on American values,” Dr Momen said.
Momen said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already congratulated US President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris separately on their election.
“I look forward to working closely with you in attaining those ideals as well as in effectively confronting the evils of terrorism, violent extremism, hatred, forced displacements as of the Rohingyas, and for the realization of a safer and a better world,” the premier wrote to Joe Biden.
Sheikh Hasina also extended a very warm invitation to Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden to visit and experience Bangladesh and its overall progress achieved by its own efforts, the strength of its people and the support of its good friends like the USA.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam said like during the tenure of Trump, Bangladesh will continue its urge to the new US administration to send back Bangabandhu’s killer Rashed Chowdhury to execute the court verdict.
“We expect the US (Biden) Administration and a democratic country like the US will not give shelter to a killer or promote a killer,” he told reporters at his office here.
Mentioning that Bangladesh-US relations deepened and broadened over the last ten years, he said there are scopes to work deeply with the US on numbers of issues like migration, climate change, trade and investment.
On November 3, American citizens headed to the polls to elect 435 representatives to the House, 35 senators out of 100 to the Senate, and the President and Vice President of the United States.
According to the figures provided by US main media outlets, the sitting president Donald Trump garnered 214 electoral votes, whereas Biden – 290 (270 are required to win).
Biden has announced his election victory, whereas Trump claimed he would state his case on the voting results in court.
BSS/ASG/TA/GA/1754 hrs