Amidst the ongoing political turmoil in the country, ambassadors from 28 countries met on December 8. The meeting was held at the residence of the Moroccan ambassador in the capital’s Gulshan from 3 pm to 4 pm. Diplomatic sources said that the current political situation in Bangladesh was discussed in the meeting.
Ambassadors of various countries who recently commented on the political situation in Bangladesh were present at this meeting, but there was no US representative. The participants in the meeting did not agree to make any official statement afterward.
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According to them, this meeting was part of the regular meet-up. However, according to sources, there were discussions about the upcoming national parliamentary elections and the recent situation in the meeting.
Who was present at the meeting?
Indian High Commissioner Pranab Verma, Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki, European Union (EU) Ambassador Charles Whitley, Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan, Australian High Commissioner Jeremy Brier, Norwegian Ambassador Espen Richter Sevendesson, French Ambassador Masdupe, Italian Ambassador Enrico Nunziata were present in the meeting. Ambassador of Switzerland Nathalie Chuard, Ambassador of Sweden Alexandra Bragg von Linde, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Essa Youssef and Al Duhailan, Ambassador of United Arab Emirates Abdullah Ali Al Hamodi, Ambassador of Palestine Yusuf Ramadan, Ambassador of Kosovo Ganar Uraya, Ambassador of Nepal Ghanshyam Bhandari, Ambassador of Bhutan Rinchen Kunshali, Ambassador of Vietnam Pehm Viet Chein, Ambassador of North Korea Pak Song Yup, Ambassador of South Korea Lee Jae Khun also joined the meeting. Additionally, Iranian Ambassador Mansolor Chavosi, Iraqi Charge d’Affaires Abdus Salam, Maldivian High Commissioner Shirujimath Samir, Indonesian Ambassador Hartento Subolo, Thai Ambassador Makodi Sumatmore, Vatican Ambassador Marinko Antolovic, Libyan Ambassador Abdul Mutalib SM Sulaiman, Malaysian State Ambassador Haznah Binti Mohammad Anamari Hashirmar, and Singaporean Ambassador Consul Sheela Pillai Kulah were also present on the occasion.
Statement ahead of Human Rights Day
Earlier, 14 Western countries, European Union, and Japan issued a statement on December 6 emphasizing on a free, fair, inclusive, and peaceful electoral process in Bangladesh. This statement also calls for ensuring the right to democratic practices including processions and meetings.
The joint statement given ahead of Human Rights Day says, ‘On the occasion of Human Rights Day on December 10, we want to highlight the fundamental role of democracy in promoting human rights protection and development. We celebrate the freedoms enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights and emphasize the importance of upholding the commitments of all United Nations (UN) member states to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and elections, among the various commitments set out in the declaration.’
The statement added, ‘We support meaningful participation, equality, security and encourage democratic governance as values and principles for development. As friends and partners, we are keen to further encourage Bangladesh’s success. We reiterate the importance of a free, fair, inclusive and peaceful electoral process inspired by the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.’
Notably, the missions given the statement include Australian High Commission, British High Commission, Canadian High Commission, Denmark Embassy, European Union Delegation, French Embassy, German Embassy, Italian Embassy, Japanese Embassy, Netherlands Embassy, Norwegian Embassy, Spanish Embassy, Swedish Embassy, Swiss Embassy, and US Embassy.
