EU delegation meets foreign minister, BNP leaders in Sylhet

A delegation of the European Union Election Expert Mission to Bangladesh 2023 met with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and several BNP leaders in Sylhet today.

The two-member delegation include Legal and Human Rights Expert Rebecca Cox and Media/Social Media Expert Charlotte Souibes.

The delegation met the foreign minister at his residence in Sylhet around 6:00pm and later visited his main electoral camp, reports our local correspondent.

After the meeting, the foreign minister told the reporters that the EU delegates asked about many issues but did not express any opinion.

"I informed them that it will not be a rigged election and a strong and independent commission is working to ensure a free and fair election," he said.

"In response to their question regarding the arrest of BNP activists, I told them that law enforcers arrested those who are involved with terrorist activists, not political leaders," the minister said.

Earlier in the afternoon, the delegation also met with three leaders of BNP at a restaurant in Sylhet City.

BNP chairperson's advisors Khandakar Abdul Muktadir and Ariful Haque Chowdhury and Sylhet district unit president Abdul Quiyum Chowdhury were present at the meeting.

"They discussed about the current political situation and the election, and we clarified our political stance that the people's right to vote is being snatched by the government," Quiyum Chowdhury said regarding the meeting.

"We told them that the government destroyed democracy arranging a farce election. We also informed that BNP is trying to regain democracy by stopping the election with the help of people," he said.

The delegation did not express any opinion to the BNP leaders, he added.