Govt will guarantee full protection of all diplomats, says FM

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday said there is nothing to worry about the security of foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka, noting that they will be given full protection.

"Our government will guarantee full protection of all diplomats," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Have you ever heard that any diplomat was killed in Bangladesh? Why do you fear?" Momen said referring to a bomb blast during BNP-Jamaat tenure when the then British high commissioner to Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury was injured.  

Responding to a question, Momen said he does not see any scope that the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the USA will deteriorate due to a tiny incident. "It's a multifaceted relationship."

He said Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Muhammad Imran had a prescheduled meeting which was originally scheduled to be held over the phone. Later, the meeting was held in person.

The US side said they raised the December 14 incident at the "highest levels" of the Bangladesh government, as well as with the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC.

"The ambassador (Peter Haas) is a bit panicked about his security. Our ambassador said there is no reason to get panicked," Momen said.

Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday said there had been no lack of security when US Ambassador Peter Haas visited Dhaka's Shaheenbagh area recently.

While talking to reporters at the Secretariat, he said police personnel rushed to the spot immediately.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said the situation that US Ambassador Peter Haas faced could not be seen as a "security threat".

"There is no scope to see it as a security threat," he told reporters at the Foreign Service Academy on Thursday evening, noting that the incident will have no impact on Dhaka-Washington relations.

The US Embassy in Dhaka has said they take "seriously" all allegations of human rights violations and regularly meet with a wide variety of human rights organisations.

"The US Embassy had not received any prior communication from 'Mayer Kanna' over the last several years," said a US Embassy spokesperson on Sunday in light of various articles and statements surrounding Ambassador Haas' meeting with "Mayer Dak" on December 14.

Providing more information to the media in an email, the spokesperson said human rights are at the "centre" of US foreign policy.

The US ambassador ended his "prescheduled" meeting with "Mayer Dak" on December 14 due to "security concerns."

"The meeting was interrupted by protestors, who attempted to enter the building where the ambassador was located. Other protestors surrounded the ambassador's vehicle," said the spokesperson.