Dhaka postponed PM’s Japan tour, not Tokyo: Momen

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said it was Dhaka’s decision, not Tokyo’s to postpone Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s scheduled tour of Japan for several reasons.

“We did (postpone the trip) it, not they (Tokyo) … Japan is ready to welcome us … but considering different factors we thought it would be very difficult (to make the trip this time),” he told journalists after attending an international workshop organised by the Association of Surgeons for Sleep Apnoea at a Dhaka hotel, reports BSS.

The foreign minister said Japan is one of the closest friends of Bangladesh and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will surely visit Tokyo soon.

Momen said Dhaka considered the ongoing internal political problem with the Japanese government and Japan’s mandatory quarantine due to Covid-19 related restrictions as reasons behind the decision of postponement.

“We wanted to go to Japan this time. They requested us repeatedly. It was finalised. But considering all these things, we have postponed it,” he said.

He said Bangladesh received the invitation from Tokyo more than two years ago but the visit could not materialise due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Japanese side put emphasis on finalisation of the visit again when Foreign Minister Momen visited Japan in September this year.

UNB adds: the foreign minister said they are not worried about the election-related remarks made by Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki, noting that evil-doers might take advantage of his simplicity.

“He (Naoki) is a simple and good person. He is a good friend of Bangladesh. We are not worried about his remarks,” Momen said.

Regarding the postponement of the prime minister’s Japan tour, Momen said the Bangladesh side postponed considering a number issues including “instability” within the Japanese government.

Momen said three influential cabinet members of Japan have resigned recently and they have heard that there will be some proposals at the parliament (National Diet of Japan) regarding the sitting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

It was a two-day visit but it does not make sense if most of the delegation members remain stuck in hotels for quarantine purposes, Momen said.

Responding to another question, Momen said Bangladesh has a very solid economy and expressed displeasure over some media reports related to the economy describing those as “propaganda.”