The formation of the next Election Commission (EC) will be discussed between the European Union and Bangladesh in Brussels in December, EU Ambassador to Dhaka Pierre Mayaudon said yesterday. “We have a history of cooperation between the EU and EC in Bangladesh. So this is very much on top of our agenda,” he said at a programme styled DCAB Talk, organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh at a local hotel.
The EU envoy revealed that the next Bangladesh-EU joint economic commission meeting will be held on December 20 in Brussels, the city of EU headquarters, and that the issue of the formation of the EC will be discussed at the sub-committee that deals with democracy, governance and human rights issues. The EC has a critical role to play in creating confidence among all keeping the next general election in mind, he said. “2019 is still far away but it’s not so much far actually,” he added.
The tenure of the five-member present EC, led by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, will expire in February, 2017 and the government has initiated a process to form a new commission.
Mayaudon, flanked by DCAB president Angur Nahar Monty and Pantho Rahman, also said that an ‘important European parliamentary
delegation will visit Bangladesh in mid-November. To another question on security against the backdrop of July 1 Gulshan attack, he said that the situation has ‘improved greatly’.
But, he added that the security does not mean only the security of diplomats of diplomatic zone, rather the security of the whole country will have to be considered.
The visits of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the English cricket team reflect the improvement of security situation in Bangladesh, said the Ambassador.
Mayaudon said that the cooperation between Bangladesh and EU is driven by modernity and a sense of sharing common values with the people of Bangladesh, namely democracy and human rights as enshrined in article 1 of the EU-Bangladesh 2001 Cooperation Agreement.
On the government offer to provide additional security to foreigners, he said that the offers have been appreciated and the issue of hiring armed Ansar members seems to be ‘quite effective’. The EU envoy also said that there should be more encouragement for freedom of expression and that the civil society should remain a voice in any country.
He said Bangladesh is ‘more prominent’ on the global arena for its socio-economic development and steady economic growth, but some issues have generated negative publicity for the country. In reply to a question, Mayaudon said that despite the current problems faced by the EU, the determination of the organisation to reinforce the partnership with Bangladesh has not been undermined. Global challenges have to be addressed collectively and the two challenges Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina identified – terrorism and climate change – are definitely among those matters where they all cooperate with Bangladesh, he said.
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Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.