The new ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon on Wednesday reiterated their position for a transparent inclusive and credible election in Bangladesh putting the interests of the people first.
The newly appointed Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation addressed a crowded press conference in the city and read out the January 9 statement of EU’s Catherine Ashton. In that statement Aston has said.“The EU urges all parties to refrain from violence and to engage in genuine dialogue to agree on a mutually acceptable way forward to strengthen democratic accountability and to hold transparent, inclusive and credible elections, putting the interests of the people of Bangladesh first,” he read.
The EU diplomat also said he does not have anything to add to this statement and mentioned that the EU will continue to work with the Bangladesh Election Commission for this purpose.
Responding to a question on government’s refusal to have dialogue with BNP, the EU envoy said he does not want to make any comment on Bangladesh’s internal issue.
Earlier, in his written statement, Mayaudon said he, along with the EU delegation, is determined to make his mandate a ‘useful’ and busy one. “A mandate that will be guided by three main drivers: urgency, action and delivery.”
He said the challenges that Bangladesh and the EU are facing together are not of a kind that can be solved only through discussion. “Action must follow.”
The envoy said one of the best translations of this common understanding is that they are just at the beginning of their new seven-year development cooperation programme what they call the multi-annual indicative programme (MIP) 2014-2020 which is in full alignment with Bangladesh’s national strategies and programmes.
Responding to a question on priorities, human rights and governance issues are equally important and fighting corruption is obviously high priority. “Next seven years will be working in strengthening governance with all stakeholders.”
He mentioned that Bangladesh and the EU have a joint commission that will meet early next year and address a broad range of matters of common interest. “We intend to increase the budget support component of our cooperation.”
Mayaudon mentioned that their engagement with Bangladesh is not limited to the government. “Your country is blessed with a vibrant civil society and a robust private sector.”
He appreciated the role of NGOs, including Brac and Grameen, and said they are the proud of Bangladesh. “It’s an asset for Bangladesh and the government to have so many NGOs which are working towards the same objective making the development of Bangladesh sustainable.”
He told a questioner, “Please don’t spread the perception that the EU is taking side of war criminals.” The envoy said the EU has always been a supporter of freedom, liberation and human rights worldwide.
The EU envoy said whenever they are informed of any case of death penalty they issue statement worldwide. “Some cases are made public, we react, some cases aren’t made public and we’re not in a position to react as we’re not just informed about the cases.”
The EU issued a statement soon after the verdict on Motiur Rahman Nizami’s trial and called on the Bangladesh authorities to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step towards definitive abolition of capital punishment.
The EU recalled that they are opposed to the use of capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances, and has consistently called for its universal abolition. GreenWatch Dhaka Desk
