The United States did not issue alert to its citizens asking them not to travel to Bangladesh rather encouraged them to come to the country with caution and continue business, US ambassador Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat said on Thursday.
At a press briefing following a meeting with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association leaders at the BGMEA office in the city, the US ambassador expressed her hope that the US would remain the best customer of Bangladeshi readymade garments and the volume of business would increase in coming days.
‘The US is committed to remaining and having a robust business relation with Bangladesh,’ Bernicat said.
Citing the recent terror attack in Bangladesh, the US ambassador said that it was a normal practice that many business people from abroad were not visiting Bangladesh now and Bangladeshi businesses were going abroad to meet them.
‘We are telling our people to come to Bangladesh, to continue business and to exercise caution and to be aware the situation,’ Bernicat said.
She said that the US will remain single largest export destination of Bangladeshi readymade garments. And not only in the readymade garment sector, the US is also interested to help and make investment in other businesses in Bangladesh including Liquefied Natural Gas terminal and pharmaceuticals.
Bernicat said that the US will remain with Bangladesh to fight against terrorism as Bangladesh is a successful and democratic country and it has a strong secularism and diverse history.
‘The US issued travel warning to its citizen saying that you need to exercise caution, you need to be careful when you will be in Bangladesh… the warning did not tell them not to travel to Bangladesh,’ she said.
The US ambassador said, ‘We don’t think all travels to Bangladesh should be avoided.’
Replying to a question she said terrorism was a unique threat and they were continuing to work together.
‘One can be satisfied when they would know that all ring leaders are caught, their own children, relatives are not drawn into committing terrorists attack and there is no such threat,’ Barnicat said.
The ambassador called upon the government to be transparent saying that authorities should let people know what they know, what they do not know and what the people should do now.
Bernicat emphasised on the full remediation of readymade garments factories and ensuring workers rights for sustainability of the sector.
The BGMEA president Md Siddiqur Rahman said that the US ambassador expressed her satisfaction over the security measures that have been taken by the government following the terror attack at Gulshan in the city.
Barnicat assured that the US buyers would remain
with Bangladesh and business would be increased, he said.
Siddiq said that the US ambassador discussed about the ongoing factory remediation, remediation financing, workers database and occupational safety and health committee in the RMG factories.
‘We assured her that the workers database would be completed by October and we have already issued letters to the member factories to form participation and OSH committees in the factories,’ the BGMEA president said.
Source: New Age
