Shawdesh Desk:

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has not acknowledged the conversation between Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and United States president Joe Biden on the sidelines of the recently concluded G20 Summit.

Responding to a question whether Bangladesh PM and US president, as claimed by foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, had had a warm conversation on G20 sidelines though there was no readout or anything from the White House or from the US State Department, Matthew Miller in US state department’s regular briefing on Tuesday said, ‘I believe the White House did make public the meetings that the President had with other leaders.’

Talking to reporters after addressing as the chief guest at a discussion with students titled ‘Smart Bangladesh Roundtable for Youth Perspective’ organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, Momen said that the US president Joe Biden lauded Bangladesh’s progress in various sectors under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina as they had a warm conservation on the sidelines of the recently concluded G20 Summit.

Responding to another question on recent remarks made by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov during his Dhaka trip that Moscow would prevent any attempt to establish dictates and interference by the US in this region, the US State Department spokesperson said that Russia, a country that had invaded two of its neighbors, was prosecuting an aggressive war where it bombed schools and hospitals and apartment buildings on a daily basis, should not be talking about any other country imposing dictates.

‘It’s a fairly – it’s not the most self-aware comment that Sergey Lavrov has ever made. But I would say that with respect to United States policy, that the United States and Bangladesh share a vision to ensure the Indo-Pacific region is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. That’s the intent of our Indo-Pacific strategy and that is our position,’ he said.

Responding to another question on press freedom and jailing two senior journalists, Shafik Rehman and Mahmudur Rahman, he said, ‘We believe, as we’ve said on a number of occasions, that journalists play an essential role in any democracy. Their work uncovers corruption, safeguards the public’s right to know information that affects their lives. They need to be able to make the public aware of the issues that they face in their daily lives. They need to ensure accountability for elected officials the way that you all show up and ensure accountability for what I say here every day. They must be able to do their jobs without fear of harassment, violence, or intimidation.’

‘And we are concerned with the Government of Bangladesh’s systematic and pervasive oppression of journalists and media personalities who attempt to hold the government accountable,’ he said.