The European Union (EU) Special Representative for Human Rights Eamon Gilmore said they expect Bangladesh to ensure high labour standards, fair wages and a good human rights environment.
Following a meeting with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Kamal Uddin Ahmed today (25 July), Gilmore also said the EU is looking forward to negotiating a new cooperation agreement with Bangladesh, which will take place over the next couple of years.
"We already have a very strong economic relationship. Bangladesh is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the EU's system of trade preferences," he added. NHRC Chairman Kamal Uddin Ahmed said the EU special representative mainly talked about the human rights environment in Bangladesh.
"He [Gilmore] knows about the human rights situation in Bangladesh," Kamal said. When asked if the upcoming national election was part of the discussion, the NHRC chairman said, "Election was not a big part of the discussion.
However, we talked about a few incidents regarding the election." Eamon Gilmore arrived in Dhaka on Monday (24 July) for a six-day visit to discuss issues of mutual interests, especially rights issues. He is visiting at the invitation of the government of Bangladesh.
