Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Tuesday that there is no reason for the United States or any other country to be concerned about Bangladesh's balanced relationship with China.
He made the remark while responding to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding comments made by Brent Christensen, the nominee for the next US Ambassador to Bangladesh.
Mr Christensen recently told a US Senate hearing that, if appointed, he would brief the Bangladesh government about the potential risks of increased military cooperation with China.
"The relationship between Bangladesh and China is a balanced one," Mr Hossain said. "There is no reason for the United States or any third country to be worried about it. Bangladesh maintains relations with all major powers and follows a policy of balance in dealing with them."
Asked about Mr Christensen's observation that Bangladesh does not receive sufficient attention because of its large neighbours, the adviser said it was not true that "no one cares what Bangladesh does or where it stands."
"I believe Bangladesh enjoys considerable importance in the international arena, given its size," he added.
Regarding the election timeline, Mr Hossain said donor countries and development partners have no doubts about the announced schedule. He also emphasised that there is no foreign pressure on the participation of the Awami League in an inclusive election.
On the issue of international election observers, he said, "Those who are interested in coming generally visit before the election. Some preliminary visits have already taken place. The most recent was by an IRI delegation, and they will come again. We are fully committed to holding a free, fair, and impartial election. Therefore, we will certainly encourage those who wish to come as observers. But we do not want anyone to come under the guise of observation with the sole purpose of maligning the process - that we will not welcome."
"So far, the interested parties include the EU and the United States. We think this is a positive sign. As the election draws nearer, perhaps more observers will come. We want the election to be conducted transparently and openly before all," he added.
Mr Hossain further informed that while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously assisted election observers, this time the Election Commission will handle them directly.
"Therefore, the Foreign Ministry has no direct involvement in this matter. If visas are required, we will issue them, but for other arrangements, one has to contact the Election Commission," the adviser said.
Responding to another question, he referred to India's Foreign Secretary's recent comment to Bangladeshi journalists in New Delhi that India wanted to see an "inclusive and fair election" in Bangladesh.
"None of the journalists asked why India had not said such a thing in the past 15 years," he remarked.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
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