The UK along with its international partners, support plural and transparent democracy in Bangladesh provided in the constitution, including urging a fair and credible process for the elections scheduled for 2023, said British High Commissioner in Dhaka Robert Chatterton Dickson on Sunday.
The process includes allowing all parties to give opinions ahead of the election so that there is a real debate about the future of the country, he mentioned.
Mr Dickson said it while addressing DRU Talks, organised by the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the city.
“Second, it means everyone can cast their vote freely. Third, it means the votes are counted reliably and transparently. And finally, it means credible results being accepted by all parties, including those who did not win” he added.
“More broadly, our view is that long term stability and economic growth flourish best in open and democratic societies with strong institutions, public accountability and competitive elections”.
According to him, milestones such as the Election Commission formation process send a signal on the trajectory of this administration. Strong commitments from all parties on a free and fair process would help set the tone, including inclusive and non-partisan Election Commission oversight for the contest due next year, he added.
“The strongest, safest and most prosperous societies are those in which everyone can live freely, without fear of violence or discrimination, and where all citizens can play a full and active part”.
Mr Dickson pointed out that graduation from LDC status is a milestone but not a finishing line and the UK is supporting Bangladesh to achieve smooth and successful graduation and continue its export-led growth by providing duty-free, quota-free access to the UK market until 2029.
“We are Bangladesh’s second largest investor, and we will continue to work with Bangladesh to deliver free and fair trade by improving the functioning of the WTO and modernising global trade rules,” the envoy said.
The UK-Bangladesh Trade and Investment Dialogue, held last year, addressed tackling market access barriers and improvements to the business environment to promote free and fair trade between the UK and Bangladesh and help UK companies realise the potential of Bangladesh’s impressive economic growth, he added.
The UK hopes to see the Bangladesh market becoming more open to international investment, especially for the high value financial, education and health services, said the British High Commissioner.
He said the UK leads the world in these sectors and prescribed ‘Cross Border Higher Education Rules’.
UK universities are interested in the opportunity in Bangladesh, and would like to establish the sort of presence they have in Sri Lanka or Malaysia, the envoy mentioned.
The envoy also highlighted the British policy on the Indo-Pacific strategy saying Britain do this in line with its global strategy.
“Last year we published an Integrated Review of our foreign policy after leaving the European Union. A key element is what we call an Indo Pacific Tilt, a rebalancing of our policy, in which Bangladesh plays an important role”.
The Indo-Pacific is the fastest-growing economic region in the world, a crucial transit point for global trade, he said adding that the UK has Europe’s broadest, most integrated regional presence, in support of stronger trading links, shared security priorities and shared values.
He noted that 2021 was a good year for UK-Bangladesh defence relations, as a Royal Navy ship sailed to Chattogram after 13 years as part of the kingdom's Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo Pacific region.
The visit highlighted our bilateral defence connections, taken forward again this week by strategic level training being provided by the UK to the Bangladesh National Defence College, he pointed out.
The US looking forward to talks soon to put this relationship on a more strategic basis, he said.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com