Donald Lu lauds Bangladeshi- Americans’ role

Donald Lu, US assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, appreciated the contributions of Bangladeshi Americans in building foundations of bilateral relations between the two nations.

The comments came during a reception hosted by the Bangladesh embassy in Washington DC on Tuesday, marking the occasion of the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh ambassador to the US Muhammad Imran delivered the welcome address at the function.

"We are so proud of the work of Bangladeshi Americans and what they do to support relations between our great nations," said Donald Lu.

Donald Lu referred to Bangladeshi-American entrepreneurs, who have excelled in various fields.

He made the remarks when asked by a journalist on steps the Biden administration may take, considering that Bangladesh led by "an authoritarian prime minister and people are suffering due to absence of democracy and the rule of law" as Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening democratic governance and promoting human rights in his statement on the Independence Day.

Bangladesh Ambassador Muhammad Imran said Bangladesh's long-standing partnership with the US is of high priority.

He mentioned that Bangladesh shares a common vision with the US for a free and open Indo-Pacific region, with shared prosperity for all."

Dignitaries including Ambassador Rebecca Gonzales, director of Office of Foreign Missions of the US State Department; ambassadors and diplomats of different countries, senior US officials and other organisations were present at the event.

Muhammad Ziauddin, ambassador-at-large of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh; former alternate executive director World Bank Group Ahmed Kaikaus; Virginia State Senator Saddam Selim and Siddiqur Rahman, president of the US chapter of Bangladesh Awami League were also in attendance.

Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Wednesday said that the promotion of democracy is a top priority for the US president.

"We wanted to see free and fair elections and we will continue to support free, full, open democracy in Bangladesh," he said.