U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is still executing President Donald Trump's "vision," according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce when questioned on Trump's pre-election statements on the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh.
In a Washington briefing on Monday, Bruce said, "Secretary Rubio, of course, follows through with his (Trump's) vision and the nature of the choices that are made in that regard."
In New York, meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, was asked whether Guterres had raised the issue of human rights abuses against Hindus in Bangladesh during his recent visit to the country.
Haq replied, "In his meetings overall with officials, he ensured to bring up any issues we have concerning human rights."
Prior to the November elections, Trump had tweeted on X severely criticizing "the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are being attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which is still in a complete state of chaos."
Bruce was questioned regarding Rubio's position on the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh and what he was doing to resolve the issues raised by Trump. She attested that Rubio was joining Trump's vision but declined to give more information, stating, "When it comes to again, negotiations, diplomatic considerations, and the conversations that those involve, and what might happen. I don't want to presume here what the outcome will be."
She went on, "What I'm not going to respond to is, diplomatic considerations, from government to government or attitudes and approaches when it comes to what's occurring in a particular country that falls within a diplomatic sort of discussion.
Earlier, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, in New Delhi, stressed that the persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh "continues to remain a central focus area of concern" for the U.S. government.
Speaking in an interview with NDTV, Gabbard said, "The long-standing unfortunate persecution, killing and abuse of religious minorities -- Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Catholics and others -- have been a major area of concern for the United States government and of course President Trump and his administration."
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