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<p>The Bangladesh general election on 30 December 2018 was subject to numerous allegations
of irregularities and voter intimidation. I released a statement on 1 January deploring
the violence that took place and expressing UK concerns regarding the conduct of the
election. I called for electoral authorities to provide a full, credible and transparent
resolution of all complaints related to the conduct of the elections and repeated
this message to the Bangladesh High Commissioner when we met on 10 January in London.</p><p>I
have also written to my counterpart the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar
Alam, to express UK concerns regarding the conduct of the election and on the democratic
trajectory in Bangladesh. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Foreign Minister Momen to
deliver similar messages. The UK will continue to engage the Government of Bangladesh
at all levels to address our concerns regarding democracy in Bangladesh.</p><p>We
have a broad and important partnership with Bangladesh and we will continue to support
the people of Bangladesh in their aspirations for a more stable, prosperous, and democratic
future. Change will not happen overnight but UK Aid is enabling Bangladeshi women
and young people to engage in politics, making communities more resilient to conflict
and monitoring levels of political violence. I do not assess that sanctions against
Bangladesh would deliver an improvement in the democratic trajectory of that country.</p>
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