Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, expresses optimism about the potential for stronger relations with the United States, the largest importer of Bangladeshi garments. This comes in the wake of pointed criticism from President-elect Donald Trump regarding violence against minorities in the predominantly Muslim country.
“Foreign policies typically remain consistent despite a change in presidential leadership,” Yunus stated in an interview with The Hindu, commenting on Trump’s recent electoral win.
Officials have emphasized the strong relationship cultivated with the United States. The expectation is that it will be reinforced.
In a post shared on X at the end of October, Trump expressed his strong condemnation of what he described as “barbaric violence” targeting Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Bangladesh, a country he characterized as being in a state of chaos due to mob attacks and looting.
Bangladesh’s neighbouring country, which has a Hindu majority India, maintains robust cultural and business relationships with Bangladesh, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s administration has voiced apprehension regarding the recent surge of attacks on Hindus.
Protests in Bangladesh, initially sparked in July by a student-led movement opposing public sector job quotas, have intensified into one of the most lethal periods of unrest since the country’s independence in 1971. The interim government estimates that approximately 1,500 individuals have lost their lives in the violence.
Yunus has been appointed as the head of the caretaker government that assumed control in Bangladesh following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina‘s departure to India in August, which occurred during intense protests demanding her resignation.
Nobel Peace Laureate Yunus has stated that allegations of atrocities against minorities are merely propaganda.
Yunus stated that Hasina has persisted in her political endeavours from India while his caretaker government is pursuing legal measures to seek extradition. Yunus noted that India’s refusal might strain the diplomatic ties between the neighbouring South Asian countries.
Yunus referred to India and Bangladesh as twins destined to be united, expressing his desire to meet with Modi.
