United States Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Tuesday said his country is interested in a free and fair election in Bangladesh.
"The USA does not care who wins the elections, but rather cares about there being a free and fair election," the US envoy said at a views-exchange meeting with the Editors' Council at a city hotel.
He also said: "The US does not favour any party over another."
The meeting was moderated by the President of the Editors' Council and Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam, said a press statement of the Editors' Council.
The US envoy observed that all entities in Bangladesh must play a proper role to ensure free and fair elections, said the press statement.
The ambassador emphasised on the importance of a free press in ensuring free and fair elections, stating that the elections begin far earlier than the actual day of the polls in the form of level playing fields for all, Editors spoke to the ambassador about the challenges faced by free and independent media not only due to stringent laws but also due to the effects of media ownership.
The ambassador said within the USA there is constant pressure and debate to face transparency regarding violations of rights, and that there are institutions to work on them, according to the statement.
Speaking about the economic crisis faced by Bangladesh due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the ambassador stated that there is no country better off today than they were before Russia invaded Ukraine, but that some countries are impacted more.
He talked about how to transform the foreign assistance relationship between the two countries to make it coincide with Bangladesh's graduation to a middle income country, it said.
The ambassador spoke about sectors needing additional assistance like high-level skills training and diversifying the export basket.
He said that while it is important to focus on how to retain the trade benefits shared by the two countries, it is also important to think about the next step.
To that end, Mr. Haas highlighted the need to create the conditions needed for foreign direct investment.
The US envoy said the US International Development Finance Corporation provides private sector investment in infrastructure, innovation and women's economic empowerment, but that it is governed by some of the same principles as the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to which Bangladesh lost access.
While Bangladesh has made great strides in worker safety after the Rana Plaza incident, the overall labour rights situation continues to be an impediment to gaining these privileges, he mentioned.
The US envoy appreciated Bangladesh's role in opening its doors to the Rohingya refugee population without any expectation of them going back any time soon, and said that the US cannot force the Myanmar junta to take back the community without risking their lives even though they need repatriation.
"We need to make sure that they are not in despair, with no hope," Mr. Haas was quoted as saying.
Editor of Prothom Alo Matiur Rahman, Editor of The Financial Express Shamsul Huq Zahid, Editor of Daily Manabzamin Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, Editor of Ajker Patrika Golam Rahman, Editor of Bhorer Kagoj Shyamal Dutta, Editor of Daily Ittefaq Tasmima Hossain, Editor of Inqilab AMM Bahauddin, Acting Editor of Daily Samakal Mozammel Hossain, Editor of Bonik Barta Dewan Hanif Mahmud, Acting Editor of Desh Rupantor Mustafa Mamun and Associate Editor of Dhaka Tribune Abu Sayeed Asiful Islam attended the meeting.
