‘Steps taken to bar foreigners from meddling in internal issues’

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 while replying to a question from treasury bench lawmaker Abul Kalam Azad in parliament.

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, Momen said some of 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.

Efforts on to lift RAB sanction

The minister also told parliament that diplomatic efforts are on track to deal with the United States regarding sanction on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), but he acknowledged that the matter is a political issue, which may follow a protracted process.

“Lifting the sanction from RAB is a long-term process. Since the matter of imposing the sanction on RAB is a political issue, strong diplomatic efforts are being made to solve the matter since the beginning (immediately after imposition of the sanction),” he said while replying to a starred question from opposition Jatiya Party lawmaker Md Mujibul Haque (Chunnu).

In a scripted answer, Dr Momen said the Foreign Ministry and other ministries, divisions or government agencies are jointly working to lift this sanction and ensure that such sanction would not come anymore in the future.

The Bangladesh Embassy stationed in Washington DC maintains contact with the US State Department regularly, he said, adding that the Foreign Ministry takes steps instantly following the recommendation of the Bangladesh Embassy.

Citing different steps taken by the government for withdrawal of the existing sanctions, he said that the sanction issue was also discussed in meetings with US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu during his recent visit to Bangladesh.

Dr Momen said Donald Lu now praised the activities of RAB.