Efforts are being made to destabilise Bangladesh using smuggled money, Yunus tells EU envoys

The chief advisor accuses Hasina and allies of attempting to incite unrest

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has told European Union ambassadors that attempts are being made to destabilise Bangladesh using funds illegally siphoned out of the country.

During a meeting with a 19-member EU delegation at his Tejgaon office on Monday noon, the interim PM also accused the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her allies of orchestrating these efforts.

The two-and-a-half-hour meeting was attended by heads of missions from eight EU countries in Dhaka and five missions based in New Delhi.

Michael Miller, the head of the EU delegation to Bangladesh, led the team.

Among the attendees, 15 representatives shared their views on topics such as labour rights, trade benefits, climate change, human rights, the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act, Rohingya repatriation, and commitments towards building a sustainable future, according to a statement from the Chief Advisor's Office.

It added that the chief advisor expressed his pleasure at participating in such discussions in December, the month of victory.

He paid tribute to the martyrs and those injured in the July-August uprisings.

Yunus briefly outlined the last 16 years of “oppression, exploitation, forced disappearances, and human rights violations” during the meeting, the statement read.

He also pointed out that "widespread misinformation" is being circulated about Bangladesh and sought the EU envoys' support in countering it.

"The 'dictator’ Sheikh Hasina, along with her allies, who were 'forced to flee' the country during the July uprisings, have 'illegally siphoned off large sums of money’, with which they are attempting to destabilise the nation," the chief advisor told the envoys.

He also spoke about engaging in dialogue with the representatives of all political parties and religious communities in Bangladesh to promote harmony and national unity.

Yunus provided the EU envoys with a detailed overview of the interim government's reform agenda and election process.

The Chief Advisor's Office said a request was made during the meeting to relocate the visa centre for Bangladeshis from Delhi to Dhaka or another neighbouring country.

"With India limiting visas for Bangladeshis, many students are unable to travel to Delhi for their European visa applications, leaving their education in jeopardy. European universities are missing out on Bangladeshi students,” Yunus said.

He added, "If the visa office is moved to Dhaka or another nearby country, it would benefit both Bangladesh and the EU."

Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain also attended the meeting and shared that Bulgaria has already moved its visa centre for Bangladeshis to Indonesia and Vietnam.

The EU representatives pledged their full support for the chief advisor in shaping a new Bangladesh.

The meeting in Dhaka was attended by Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Christian Bricks Møller, French Ambassador Marie Masdupuy, German Ambassador Achim Tröster, Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, Spanish Ambassador Gabriel Maria Sistiaga, Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks, and Dutch Ambassador André Carstens.

The heads of mission of the EU in Delhi included Belgian Ambassador Didier Vanderhasselt, Bulgarian Ambassador Nikolay Yankov, Estonia's Ambassador Marje Luup, Luxembourg Ambassador Peggy Frantzen, Slovak Ambassador Robert Maxian, and Cyprus High Commissioner Evagoras Vryonides.

The first secretary of the Bangladesh office of the Hungarian embassy in New Delhi, the consul of the Polish embassy, the head of mission of the Portuguese embassy, the first secretary of the Slovenian embassy, and the second secretary of the Romanian embassy in New Delhi were also present.