“Enshrined in both our constitutions is the notion that all people are created equal and, when given the opportunity and freedom to think, invent, and express themselves, the potential is limitless,” she said while speaking at the Independence Day reception at the embassy on Tuesday.

“Later this year, both our countries will put these values to the test.  Both of our countries will ask our citizens to head to the ballot box in the truest expression of self-governance.

“So as I conclude my time here in Bangladesh, I ask the government of Bangladesh and the people of Bangladesh for the same thing I ask of my own government and my own people: support non-violent, free, fair, and credible elections that reflect the will of the people.”

This comes a day after prime minister’s son and ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy in a Facebook post called the US embassy a mouthpiece for the BNP, referring to her comments on recently concluded Khulna and Gazipur city elections.

“They are parroting BNP claims about the recent election in Gazipur and emphasising irregularities, while making absolutely no comment on the BNP's attempt to cause violence in that election,” Joy wrote on Monday.

In a meeting with diplomatic correspondents in Dhaka on Jun 28, two days after Gazipur elections, Bernicat linked free, fair and credible elections in Bangladesh with the stability of the Indo-Pacific region for which the new US administration has adopted a strategy.

She had said: “While we commend the Khulna and Gazipur city corporation elections, the US remains concerned by reports of irregularities, including ballot box stuffing and intimidation of political players and polling agents both before and on the day of the vote”.

The ambassador during her reception speech on Tuesday used Bangla to speak on those elections-related lines.

She said the “wisdom and determination” of the Bangladeshi people created an independent, secular, and democratic nation.

“47 years later, the same wisdom and determination launched the Bangabandhu satellite into space,” she said, referencing the first satellite of Bangladesh which was launched recently from the US.

“I believe the same wisdom and determination will fulfill the dream of a Sonar Bangla for future generations.”

“While I’ll be sad to leave Bangladesh, I already know I will return. When I come back to visit, I expect to see a dramatically different country.  A more advanced and developed Bangladesh,” Bernicat said as her tenure is scheduled to end soon.

“But a Bangladesh with the same determination and passion for liberty that has endured since 1971.”

The reception for the 242nd anniversary of the United States of America’s independence was attended by ministers, political leaders, businesses, senior government officials, members of the civil society and media, among others.

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali was also present.

The ambassador said the 4th of July is evidence that a grand experiment—an experiment in self-governance, in democracy, in the unwavering pursuit of liberty—can shape the world.

“That experiment is alive and well today as we continue to do what our founders declared, ‘to form a more perfect union’.”

This year’s celebration was themed on the US’s journey into space and NASA’s 60th anniversary.

“Our desire to reach and explore outer space has inspired and propelled our drive to discover new technologies,” she said.

“Those technologies have improved countless lives in every corner of the world.

“From camera phones and athletic shoes to portable water purification devices and lifesaving nutrient-rich baby formula—these inventions are a direct result of our space programs.”

“And today, space exploration and research has become a unique—albeit unexpected—cornerstone of diplomacy,” she said.

She said Bangabandhu-1 satellite has opened “a new chapter” in Bangladesh’s rapid acceleration toward becoming a middle-income country.

“(It) is a true testament to the remarkable will and innovation of the Bangladeshi people.”

“I believe it is this will, this ambition for growth and progress that unites Americans and Bangladeshis,” she said.