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Ties with US won't be affected after election: Momen
FE REPORT | Thursday, 5 November 2020
Bangladesh will continue to focus on trade and investment in its negotiations with the new US administration after the elections.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said this while sharing Bangladesh's position on the outcome of the US presidential election.
Asked whether things would be changed if President Donald Trump gets re-elected, Mr Momen said the US-Bangladesh ties did not see any negative impact during the Trump administration.
There might be some problem for expatriate Bangladeshis in regard with the immigration issue, but the scrapping of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal by the Trump administration was positive for Bangladesh, he noted.
"Because of the TPP deal, we faced uneven competition from our competitors. So, its withdrawal has brought about some positive changes for us," he added.
Mr Momen said the US foreign policy is based on certain values and principles. It is not dependent on any person.
"So, we think that whoever comes to power, the existing ties between the two countries will not be affected," he added. Serving the American interest is the key to the US foreign policy, said the minister.
"Many allege that the USA takes serious action when it sees a slight violation of human rights in certain countries, but it keeps mum on serious human rights violations in some other countries that are its allies. They do this because their own interest is their priority," he explained.
"Bangladesh is now an important country for all for its geopolitical position as well as its impressive economic growth. Senior officials of the Trump administration have told us so. So, we think that the outcome of the election won't cause any trouble for us," said the foreign minister.
Responding to another question, Mr Momen said that he wrote to his French counterpart over the recent incident of religious violence in France.
"Our policy is not to hurt the religious sensitivity of others and to refrain from any religious fanaticism," he said.