CANADA
URGES BANGLADESH TO FOLLOW DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today issued the following statement on the democratic process in Bangladesh:
“We urge the new caretaker government and the leaders of the main political parties to find a way to conduct free and fair elections, as soon as possible.
“Canada is deeply concerned with the current direction of the political process in Bangladesh, which has led to unprecedented politically motivated violence and a state of emergency.
“We are also concerned with the suspension of key civil liberties and the deployment of the army into the streets of the nation, and we urge the parties to set a new election date soon.
“Bangladesh has fought hard to achieve an independent democracy, and Canada has supported it in this process and worked actively to contribute to the future of the country. We look to its leaders to find a suitable solution to end this crisis.”
Bangladesh has been one of the largest recipients of Canadian development assistance in the past 30 years.
