The United States and Japan expressed their concern over the escalating political violence in the country and urged the major political parties to engage in dialogue to resolve the current political stalemate.
The US continues to urge the major parties in Bangladesh to engage in constructive dialogue to find an agreed way forward to hold free, fair and credible elections, Ambassador Mozena said in a statement on Sunday. Lauding the telephone conversation between Prime Minister Hasina and Begum Zia, he hoped that ‘these positive developments will culminate soon in a constructive dialogue between the major parties on the best way forward for achieving free, fair and credible elections. “America’s message to all political players is that violence is not a part of the democratic process and is not acceptable. “We are concerned by the violence and deaths that have occurred. We look to the government of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all its citizens and encourage all Bangladeshis to peacefully express their views. We call on all parties to ensure that they use peaceful means to pursue their objectives” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Ambassador of Japan Shiro Sadoshima in a statement said that he was deeply concerned by the continuing escalation of violence and hostility across the country in Bangladesh.
“ Japan, as a long-time friend and important stakeholder of Bangladesh, while condemning any kind of violence and destructive activities, urges the restraint of both ruling and opposition parties so as not to cause any loss on its citizen’s safety and welfare over the path of the resolving the political confrontation” his statement said.
-With The Independent input
