US Ambassador in Dhaka Earl R Miller has called upon all political parties to shun the path of violence before and after the December 30 general election.
He said the US wants to see a free, fair, credible, participatory and peaceful election in Bangladesh.
"Violence should be given up by all political parties during election season and after the election," Mr Miller mentioned.
"You must assure, you must avoid and you must condemn violence. Violence only undermines the democratic process," he added.
Mr Miller made the call while addressing the monthly luncheon meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) at a city hotel on Wednesday.
He advised the government to use the democratic process during and after the election.
The US envoy said Bangladesh is an important market for them as there are 170 million people.
One of the top priorities of his embassy would be to increase economic engagement with Bangladesh.
"We can do so much better. I look to work with the government of Bangladesh to bring in more trade delegations, more trade missions and more CEOs."
During his three-year term, Mr Miller said, promoting the US-Bangla bilateral trade would be his main priority.
"So, in the next three years I hope to see more American companies engaging in Bangladesh and more Bangladeshi companies engaging in the United States."
America is the single-largest export destination for Bangladesh and also the single-largest investor in the country, the new US envoy mentioned.
He said the bilateral trade crossed a $7.0 billion mark in the last fiscal year and it is projected to grow further in the coming years.
The US export to Bangladesh increased 100 per cent year on year in 2017.
Mt Miller will work to remove unnecessary or arbitrary regulations, cumbersome customs procedures and corruption affecting economic growth.
Bangladesh has been striving for workplace safety with the help of Accord and
Alliance, but needs to do more, especially in the area of labour rights, he stated.
The Trump administration has given a new focus on the Indo-Pacific region to ensure fair and secure trade, he maintained.
To this end, the US has been working with all the countries in this region to create a congenial atmosphere for trade in this region.
AmCham president Nurul Islam in his opening remarks hoped that the US-Bangla trade would be accelerated during the tenure of Mr Miller.
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