Don't want to be dragged into their problem: Momen on US, Russia statements on Bangladesh

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has refused to comment on statements about Bangladesh coming from either the United States or Russia. 

"We don't want to be dragged into any problem," he told reporters when his attention was drawn to Russia's latest such remark while appearing as the chief guest at an event marking 16 December at the Foreign Secretary's Academy. 

Momen said Bangladesh is maintaining a balanced foreign policy and it is going to hold a free and fair election on 7 January next year, the UNB reports. 

"The rest, I don't know," the UNB reported him as saying. 

Earlier on Friday,  Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had said the US might try to engineer an "Arab Spring" in Bangladesh if it was dissatisfied with the outcome of the Jatiya Sangsad elections.

"There are serious reasons to fear that in the coming weeks, an even broader arsenal of pressure tactics, including sanctions, may be used against the Bangladesh government, which is unfavourable to the West," she said.

"In the event of US dissatisfaction with the results of the people's vote, attempts at further destabilisation of the situation in Bangladesh along the lines of the "Arab Spring" are likely." Zakharova continued in her statement.

When the issue was brought up before the foreign minister today, he said he did not see any scope of such a thing happening.

"We are a democratic country. You must agree with me that Bangladesh's democracy has been strengthened due to Sheikh Hasina. We will maintain this democratic process," he said.

Momen said Bangladesh can manage disruptive activities like vandalism and arson attacks. 

"We can overcome those. Some evil forces who don't believe in democracy are trying to foil the democratic process."