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Published : 17 Nov 2024, 02:06 PM
Catherine West, Britain's parliamentary under-secretary of state for Indo-Pacific affairs, has called on the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to provide a roadmap outlining its plans to steer Bangladesh towards national reconciliation.
She made the remarks while responding to questions from reporters after a meeting with Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
Asked whether the UK would back efforts to create a level playing field for all political parties in Bangladesh, including the ousted Awami League, West said: “Of course, and we expect Prof Yunus to lay out his vision for how all that will unfold and the UK will seek to support the people of Bangladesh as they move forward in the next phase.”
The British MP arrived in Dhaka on Saturday for a two-day visit. Following the meeting with Touhid, she is scheduled to hold talks with Chief Advisor Yunus.
“We know that the interim government in Bangladesh has committed to restoring peace and order, ensuring accountability and promoting national reconciliation, and it has the full support of the UK government in these objectives.”
“And we know that there are very strong people to people ties between Bangladesh and the UK,” said West.
The under-secretary welcomed the interim government’s determination to "build a better democratic future for the people of Bangladesh".
“As we have a very strong, steadfast friendship with the people of Bangladesh, we want to build the strong partnerships and build on that important building block of the strong ties and also with moving towards that democratic future, from economics and trade to security, migration and climate change.”
When asked if there had been any discussion about BNP Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman’s return to Bangladesh during the meeting with the foreign advisor, West said: “We didn't discuss individual cases, but we want to support the government because it is in this period of transition.”
West also thanked Bangladesh for providing shelter to Myanmar's forcibly-displaced Rohingya population while responding to a question about the UK's Indo-Pacific strategy.
“We want to support the interim government in all the work that it's doing,” she added.
She also announced another £10 million for food, medicine, education and shelter for the Rohingya refugees who are currently in Bangladesh.
