POBNEWS24 Dhaka Nov 30, 2023 : Today US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter D Haas met with Senior Secretary of Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs Masood Bin Momen.
Immediately after the meeting with the US Ambassador, Masood bin Momen rushed to the Ministry of Commerce, where he had a long meeting with the Commerce Secretary.
The United States issued a Presidential Memorandum on November 16, announcing various measures, including trade embargoes and visa restrictions, against labor rights violations.
A letter was sent to the Ministry of Commerce on November 20 from the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington. The letter expressed concern that Bangladesh could be one of the possible targets of this memorandum.
Considering the overall context of the letter from the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, a meeting is scheduled to be held on December 4 to decide what to do. Before that meeting, US Ambassador Peter D Haas had a meeting with the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh.
The meeting was held at a time when the country is heading towards an election. The United States has and had a variety of observations about this election. And within that observation, the Election Commission is going to conduct an election in which BNP is not participating. One of the conditions of the United States was that a participatory election should be held in Bangladesh.
In such a context, various speculations have started about whether Bangladesh will be the target of the memorandum on labor before the elections.
Diplomatic analysts say that the US is expected to move on labor rights, even if the US took a soft stance on India’s mediation on the election.
According to the letter signed by Salim Reza, Minister (Commerce) at Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Acting Minister of Labor gave a specific speech at the inauguration ceremony of the memorial, i.e. the inauguration ceremony of the US labor rights policy. In that speech, he mentioned the issue of labor rights in Bangladesh and garment worker Kalpana Akhter. That is why, it is believed that Bangladesh can be the target.
Bangladesh’s garment exports to the US have dropped significantly in the last few months. However, there is a multi-faceted discussion about whether it is related to the election. However, those concerned feel that if the labor rights policy is applied to Bangladesh before the elections, it may pose a major threat to the government. It can create a pressure.
Many feel that the way the elections are being conducted in Bangladesh, the US does not like this process. And that’s why the United States is now trying to pressurize the government with other tactics.
However, diplomatic circles feel that there is no point in looking at the whole issue in isolation. The name of the US memorandum on labor or the demand for free, fair and impartial elections in Bangladesh or the position of the US on human rights etc are all tied to one source. And to get out of such a situation, the government needs to decide what to do soon.
Many people think that Bangladesh is going to be under a big threat if Bangladesh is seen in the list of labor rights violations that the United States is talking about. However, responsible sources in the government say that they are aware of the situation and are keen to take appropriate action in this regard.
