Dhaka-Washington ties ‘indispensable’, Bernicat says on US Independence Day

Bangladesh and the US share common values that made the relation “so vibrant, multi-faceted, and indispensable”, the US ambassador in Dhaka has said.

Marcia Bernicat on the 239th anniversary of America’s independence on Saturday also invited “Bangladeshi friends and partners” to join them in celebrations.

The ambassador in a message said the US was founded on the belief that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

“These are values that continue to ring true for millions of Americans to this day.

“Over the years, however, our beliefs evolved to include an ever more diverse American people. We believe that all men – and women – are created equal.

“We believe that all people – from Mayflower descendant to recent immigrant, from deaf to hearing, from Mormon to Muslim, from gay to straight – are entitled to certain unalienable rights, which our democracy continuously strives to recognize and protect.”

She, however, said these beliefs were not unique to America.

“Bangladesh, too, has strong democratic roots and a constitution that protects individuals’ rights,” the ambassador said.

“It is because of our shared values that the relationship between America and Bangladesh is so vibrant, multi-faceted, and indispensable”.

She said it was the people of the two countries who drive the relations forward, with half a million strong Bangladeshi diaspora living in every corner of the US, and a growing number of Americans who visit or live in Bangladesh.