US foreign policy is consistent

Bernicat says in her first public remarks after Trump takes office

The foreign policy of the United States is traditionally consistent under a wide variety of administrations and the same can be expected about the new administration led by Donald Trump, US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said yesterday.

“US foreign policy has traditionally been remarkably consistent across a wide variety of administrations. We can expect (the same by) the new administration on current and future US-Bangladesh relations,” she said during a Facebook chat when asked about the US position on Bangladesh’s latest general elections held in January, 5 2014.

“The US is an enthusiastic supporter of the democratic process and we work with governments and people around the world, including Bangladesh, to help strengthen that process,” she added when asked if she would play any role in democratic process in Bangladesh.
This is for the first time the US envoy spoke publicly after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the US President on January 20. The Facebook chat was organised on the completion of her two years as the US ambassador to Bangladesh.
To another question, she said, “The US does an amazing amount of work with our NGO and government partners for the citizens in Bangladesh, especially through our many development projects.”
“We do not back any particular political party in Bangladesh. We work with all Bangladeshis to help ensure there is a more inclusive political process,” she added.
In reply to a question, Bernicat said, “Irritants can always arise in a relationship. The key is to have the trust, will and mechanisms in place to ensure they can be resolved. I think our two countries have what we need to do just that.”
Asked if Bangladesh can hope for the restoration of GSP suspended under the previous administration, the ambassador said, “We will need to wait and see what the new Trump administration’s position will be on GSP and trade in general.”
To another GSP-related query, she said, “There has been tremendous progress on safety issues, but that much work remains to be done on workers’ rights. I urge you to review the GSP Action Plan to see what work remains.”
Responding to a question on the violation of 
human rights of Rohingyas, the envoy said, “The US government has been a strong proponent for human rights everywhere in the world, including Myanmar. The US urges the government of Myanmar on a regular basis to respect the rights of religious and ethnic minority groups and calls for improvements to their freedom of movement, access to social services, access to livelihoods and fair treatment under the law when they are subject to abuses.”
Asked if she is safe in Bangladesh, she said, “My staff and I are very grateful for all that your government is doing to keep us safe.”
Asked if the threat of terrorism may shape the migration from Bangladesh in the future, the ambassador said, “First of all, there are many factors both positive and negative that shape migration around the globe, such as climate change, family ties, economic opportunity, political violence and terrorism.” 
“I am confident that the nature of the Bangladeshi people and their culture, coupled with their government’s resolve to fight terrorism, will defeat the terrorist threat here,” she added.
Asked about her efforts to make Dhaka-Washington relationship strong, Bernicat said, “The strong people-to-people ties continue to drive forward the strong USA-Bangladesh relationship. I will do my best to enhance that momentum.”
Expressing delight in completing two years as the US ambassador to Bangladesh, she said Bangladesh has made extraordinary progress in its short 45-year history, which is the best indicator of how well it will achieve the many ambitious goals it has set for itself. 
“Many countries face similar challenges today, regardless of the size of their territory or population, so I think it is especially important that we work together to solve them. As citizens of democracies, it is important for Bangladeshis and Americans alike to continue to work to create the kind of country we want to have for ourselves,” she said.
Asked about the most painful thing in Bangladesh, Bernicat mentioned violence against children, and said, “They are so vulnerable and are our future, so they deserve to be the most protected among us. There is growing awareness in Bangladesh of this problem, so I am hopeful that the violence will be stopped. This is a problem we continue to fight in the US as well.”
To another question regarding the report of withdrawal of envoys from different countries, she said, “Every president, regardless of party affiliation, asks those ambassadors who are political appointees of their predecessors to step down. The two thirds of ambassadors who are career foreign service officers, such as myself,  usually stay.”

 

US foreign policy is consistent

Bernicat says in her first public remarks after Trump takes office

The foreign policy of the United States is traditionally consistent under a wide variety of administrations and the same can be expected about the new administration led by Donald Trump, US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said yesterday. US foreign policy has traditionally been remarkablyconsistent across a wide variety of administrations. We can expect (the same by) the new administration on current and future US-Bangladesh relations, she said during a Facebook chat when asked about the US position on Bangladeshs latest general elections held in January, 5 2014. The US is an enthusiastic supporter of the democratic process and we work with governments and people around the world, including Bangladesh, to help strengthen that process, she added when asked if she would play any role in democratic process in Bangladesh. This is for the first time the US envoy spoke publicly after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the US President on January 20. The Facebook chat was organised on the completion of her two years as the US ambassador to Bangladesh. To another question, she said, The US does an amazing amount of work with our NGO and government partners for the citizens in Bangladesh, especially through our many development projects. We do not back any particular political party in Bangladesh. We work with all Bangladeshis to help ensure there is a more inclusive political process, she added. In reply to a question, Bernicat said, Irritants can always arise in a relationship. The key is to have the trust, will and mechanisms in place to ensure they can be resolved. I think our two countries have what we need to do just that. Asked if Bangladesh can hope for the restoration of GSP suspended under the previous administration, the ambassador said, We will need to wait and see what the new Trump administrations position will be on GSP and trade in general. To another GSP-related query, she said, There has been tremendous progress on safety issues, but that much work remains to be done on workers rights. I urge you to review the GSP Action Plan to see what work remains. Responding to a question on the violation of human rights of Rohingyas, the envoy said, The US government has been a strong proponent for human rights everywhere in the world, including Myanmar. The US urges the government of Myanmar on a regular basis to respect the rights of religious and ethnic minority groups and calls for improvements to their freedom of movement, access to social services, access to livelihoods and fair treatment under the law when they are subject to abuses. Asked if she is safe in Bangladesh, she said, My staff and I are very grateful for all that your government is doing to keep us safe. Asked if the threat of terrorism may shape the migration from Bangladesh in the future, the ambassador said, First of all, there are many factors both positive and negative that shape migration around the globe, such as climate change, family ties, economic opportunity, political violence and terrorism. I am confident that the nature of the Bangladeshi people and their culture, coupled with their governments resolve to fight terrorism, will defeat the terrorist threat here, she added. Asked about her efforts to make Dhaka-Washington relationship strong, Bernicat said, The strong people-to-people ties continue to drive forward the strong USA-Bangladesh relationship. I will do my best to enhance that momentum. Expressing delight in completing two years as the US ambassador to Bangladesh, she said Bangladesh has made extraordinary progress in its short 45-year history, which is the best indicator of how well it will achieve the many ambitious goals it has set for itself. Many countries face similar challenges today, regardless of the size of their territory or population, so I think it is especially important that we work together to solve them. As citizens of democracies, it is important for Bangladeshis and Americans alike to continue to work to create the kind of country we want to have for ourselves, she said. Asked about the most painful thing in Bangladesh, Bernicat mentioned violence against children, and said, They are so vulnerable and are our future, so they deserve to be the most protected among us. There is growing awareness in Bangladesh of this problem, so I am hopeful that the violence will be stopped. This is a problem we continue to fight in the US as well. To another question regarding the report of withdrawal of envoys from different countries, she said, Every president, regardless of party affiliation, asks those ambassadors who are political appointees of their predecessors to step down. The two thirds of ambassadors who are career foreign service officers, such as myself, usually stay.