'Bangladesh Polls Will Be Fair, Free': Muhammad Yunus to US Special Envoy on South Asia
New Delhi: The US special envoy on South Asia, Sergio Gor, called on Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus on September 22, in New York, in a meeting during which the latter said his interim government was preparing to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful general election in the first half of February.
Gor is also the US ambassador-designate to India.
"The election will be held in February. It will be free, fair, and peaceful. The country is fully prepared," a post by Yunus's official account quoted him as having told the special envoy.
Gor, the post said, "commended the Chief Adviser’s leadership and reiterated the United States’ willingness to support the country's efforts."
The Daily Star of Bangladesh has reported that Yunus reached Bangladesh on a commercial plane for his official US visit, timed to coincide with the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The note said that the two sides also discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including trade, South Asian regional cooperation, the revival of SAARC, the Rohingya crisis, and the proliferation of disinformation targeting Dhaka.
On the million Rohingya refugees in the camps of Bangladesh's Cox’s Bazar, Yunus sought US support. In response, according to the post on X, "the US officials said that their life-saving aide for the Rohingyas would continue."
Yunus also noted that his government had amped up efforts to revive South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC, a summit of which has been pending for a decade. He also expressed Bangladesh’s interest in joining ASEAN, stating that integration with Southeast Asian economies could significantly accelerate the country’s development.
He also emphasised the importance of strengthening economic ties with landlocked Nepal and Bhutan, as well as with India’s seven northeastern states. “We can accelerate our economic growth through closer regional cooperation,” he said.
He also extended an invitation to Gor to visit Bangladesh.
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