US sanctions on RAB has no impact on European business interest in Bangladesh

European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley on Thursday said supporting US sanctions on Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) or seeking further sanction on it is not a matter confirmed by the European Union.

On the recent letter sent by a EU parliament member to the EU foreign policy chief, Whiteley said, "This can be an individual opinion and I believe everyone has the right to express their personal view."

The EU ambassador also said he did not see any sign that the decision on sanctions was having an impact on European business interest in Bangladesh or their desire to take that business forward.

"I would say business is business, and they [investors] pay attention to whether they can make money in the country and whether there are attractive business climates. So, I haven't seen any signs yet that these developments would have an impact on business engagement in Bangladesh," he said.

He was speaking to reporters at a programme at the Nasrul Hamid Auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) in the capital.

The EU envoy said businesses pay attention to the overall picture in a country, reports the news agency UNB.

He said what matters to businesses is to do their business in a "good, clean and fair way" with a level playing field.

"I think that's the primary concern. Sometimes, political developments can have an impact on businesses."

On 20 January, European Parliament member Ivan Stefanek sent the letter to EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borell, seeking sanctions on the RAB.

In the letter, he drew attention to the human rights violation charges against the RAB, including significant election change and the suppression of political dissent.

Terming the situation "extremely serious", Stefanek said Bangladesh's administration is largely corrupt and relies heavily on the police.

Ambassador Whiteley on Thursday said the fact is that the letter came from an individual member, not from the European Parliament as a whole, adds UNB.

"It's not coming from the European Union Commission. It's not coming from the European Union Council. I've full respect for the rights of individual MEPs to write their letters."

He did not comment on the sanctions imposed by the US, saying that is a matter for the United States. "But of course, we, as you know, follow these developments closely. We, as the European Union, conduct our own policy on human rights and have our own engagement. So, I wouldn't comment further on how the US chooses to conduct its foreign policy."

The ambassador said the EU expressed concerns about several human rights issues in Bangladesh, including an annual Human Rights Report, which is freely available online.

The European Parliament itself has adopted resolutions in the past on the human rights situation in Bangladesh "most recently, in 2018".