US Ambassador in Bangladesh Dan W Mozena on Sunday refuted straightaway an Indian TV report that said the US wants to park its Seventh Fleet in Chittagong.
“There is no plan, no discussion, no idea of having a base in Bangladesh. I was here with Secretary Clinton as you know, I was with her, I was at her side the whole time she was here,” he said.
“And in her meetings with the honourable prime minister, the honourable foreign minister, the honourable Leader of the Opposition, there was no discussion, no discussion, no discussion whatsoever about the seventh fleet, the word was never even mentioned about any base or anything like that,” the US envoy said.
The direct speech, which Mozena delivered at a certificate awarding ceremony for women journalists jointly organised by News Network and American Center, was collected from a private television channel.
Earlier on Thursday, Times Now, a Mumbai-based 24-hour English news channel, aired a news item that said the United Sates wanted to park its Seventh Fleet in Bangladesh in its strategic interests.
The Times of India website carried a written version of the TV report.
Bangladesh and the United States have already termed the Indian media report baseless, unfounded and fabricated.
Addressing as chief guest, the US diplomat also praised the role of the Bangladeshi media in building democracy and addressing problematic issues.
“The best way to build a strong democracy is to strengthen the pillars of democracy, specially the media,” he said.
“I believe our responsible media, with a powerful tradition of investigative reporting, shinning the light into the dark corners of corruption, ineptness, laziness and incompetence, is essential, absolutely essential, to building a strong democracy,” he added.
Source: The Daily Star
