Steps taken to prevent foreign diplomats from talking about internal matters, Momen tells JS
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday told Parliament that the government has taken steps to prevent some foreign diplomats from remarking against the government regarding the internal affairs of Bangladesh before the media.
"Some foreign ambassadors working in Bangladesh make statements against the government regarding the internal affairs of Bangladesh. Various measures have been taken to prevent them from giving such statements that go beyond etiquette," he said.
The minister said this while replying to a question from treasury bench lawmaker Abul Kalam Azad in the House.
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Momen said the diplomats who have commented on Bangladesh's internal affairs before journalists have been asked to explain their remarks.
He said the diplomats concerned have been asked to clarify their stands and perform their responsibility following the diplomatic norms.
The minister said the foreign envoys have been asked not to comment on the country's internal matters before the media rather to inform their words to the appropriate offices.
"Some foreign diplomats have recently commented on the internal affairs of Bangladesh, which is tantamount to the interference into the internal affairs of an independent and sovereign country," he said.
In reply to another question from Awami League MP Momota Hena Lovely, the foreign minister hoped that the foreign diplomats would refrain from joining the matters or events that is tantamount to the inference into the internal affairs of the country or something that creates controversy.
But some of our institutions, especially the opposition parties and some media, encourage them to speak about their internal affairs time and again, which is not seen in other countries, he said.
Referring to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the minister said the government will not prevent any foreign diplomats from attending any event that will help strengthen the bilateral relations.
"Hopefully, the diplomats will maintain diplomatic etiquette in these events and refrain from making any comments that would be amount to interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh," he said.
