Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Bangladesh just before the G-20 summit. The US reacted strongly to a statement made by Lavrov during the visit. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said it was a country that attacked two of its neighbors, waging a war of aggression. Where they bombed schools, hospitals and apartment buildings every day. They should not talk about imposing orders on any other country.
Mathew Miller said this when attention was drawn to Lavrov’s speech during his visit to Dhaka at the regular press briefing of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked by a journalist at the briefing, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in Dhaka that Moscow will resist any attempt to establish US command and intervention in the region. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the ruling party accused the US because she said the US wants to come here and take control of the region in the name of Indo-Pacific Strategy. What is your reaction to this and what is your position on the Indo-Pacific strategy?
In response to questions, the State Department spokesperson added, “I would say that this is not the most self-aware comment that Sergey Lavrov has made regarding Russia.” With respect to US policy, I would say that the US and Bangladesh share a vision to ensure that the Indo-Pacific region is free, open, connected, prosperous, secure and resilient. That is the objective of our Indo-Pacific strategy and that is our position.
In the briefing, a question was asked – There was a sideline meeting between the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Joe Biden at the G-20 summit. In this regard, Foreign Minister Abdul Momen told reporters that there was a talk with Biden and there was a good discussion between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Although we haven’t seen any readouts or anything from the White House or the State Department?
In response, Miller said, “I believe the White House has made public the president’s meetings with other leaders.” In response to a question about Shafiq Rehman and Mahmudur Rahman, two senior journalists of Bangladesh, Miller said, We believe, as we have said several times, that journalists play an essential role in any democracy. Journalists work to expose corruption and impact people’s lives by protecting their right to information. They need to be able to make people aware of the problems they face in their daily lives.
He said accountability must be ensured for elected officials, as you all are here. I have to ensure accountability for what I say here every day. They must be able to work without fear of harassment, violence or intimidation. We are concerned about the Bangladesh government’s systematic and widespread repression of journalists and media-persons who seek to hold the government accountable.
