The US is afraid of Bangladesh’s growing ties with Russia as well as China under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, a senior advisor to Dhaka’s ruling party has told Sputnik India.
Ambassador Muhammad Zamir, the chair of the International Affairs Sub-committee of Awami League and a former foreign secretary, said that the Russian foreign ministry had made a “very valid point” in stating that the US could foment "Arab Spring"-like protests in Bangladesh following the federal election next month.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned in a statement that the US could try to trigger Arab Spring-like protests if it wasn’t “satisfied” with the outcome of Bangladesh’s federal election on 6 January.
The Russian official also expressed concerns that there was a direct link between widespread politically motivated arson by Bangladeshi opposition and the instigating activities of American Ambassador to Dhaka Peter Haas.
Reacting to the Russian foreign ministry’s statement, Bangladesh’s foreign minister AK Abdul Momen remarked that he didn’t want to be “dragged into the tension among superpowers”.
Momen told a conference on Sunday that Bangladesh would go ahead with its “balanced foreign policy”.
“Friendship to all, malice to none is the foundation of the foreign policy of Bangladesh”, Momen said.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Islamist ally have been accused by the government of holding violent protests and blockades, demanding that Hasina steps down ahead of the 7 January vote and a “caretaker government” be instated.
The BNP has also announced a boycott of the vote and withdrawn candidates from many constituencies.
‘Russia Has Made a Very Valid Point’
“The Russian foreign ministry has made a very valid point and such a scenario is possible. There have been fears about a January 6 like riots which took place at Capitol Hill post the election defeat of former President Donald Trump,” Zamir commented.
He however called upon Washington to understand that the election in Bangladesh was being conducted by the Election Commission and not any party.
“We have faith in the people of Bangladesh and the integrity of our democratic institutions,” Zaman stated.
The Awami League advisor also agreed with Moscow that the American Ambassador’s controversial role in Bangladeshi politics could have been carried out “without directions from Washington”.
“The BNP is seeking to boycott polls. We believe that this also being done on instructions of foreign countries,” Zaman reckoned.
'US Shouldn’t View Democracy From Its Own Narrow Periscope'
Zaman said that Dhaka was invested in efforts to ensure that the US didn’t abuse its visa policy announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in May this year.
Blinken said that the policy involved imposing sanctions on Bangladeshi citizens suspected of undermining “free, fair and peaceful national elections".
“The US shouldn’t view democracy from its own narrow periscope. We have a better record on human rights than the US, which witnesses police violence against African-Americans and mass shootings on a regular basis,” Zaman said.
“It is also a friend of Bangladesh. It shouldn’t be carrying out such actions to undermine our interests,” Zaman said.
How Russia-Bangladesh Ties Has Grown Under Hasina
In September, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov undertook the first-ever foreign ministerial visit to Dhaka since the south Asian nation gained independence in 1971.
In October, Bangladesh received its first shipment of Russian fuel to power the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which is being built with assistance from Moscow.
Russia is also financing 90 percent of the $12.6 billion-project, the first civil nuclear plant in Bangladesh’s history.
In November, Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet squadron called on Bangladesh’s Chattagram port, the first such visit in over 50 years.
At the same time, Bangladesh’s economic partnership with China has been on the rise, with Beijing ranking as the country’s biggest trading partner. Bangladesh joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during the visit of President Xi Jinping to Dhaka in 2016.
For its part, India has continued to maintain its role as the closest political and developmental partner of Bangladesh, in line with the deep-rooted historical and people-to-people ties between the two nations.
As far as the US is concerned, Bangladesh has been wary of being part of a US-led network in the Indo-Pacific. It has remained non-committal on joining the Quad grouping, in line with its “balanced foreign policy”.