Momen Urges Foreign Diplomats to Maintain Protocol, Norms

Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen asked foreign diplomats to maintain protocols voicing alarm regarding Bangladesh's internal problems, finding "very unfortunate" a coordinated tweet campaign by the diplomatic corps over legal activities involving the media section.

Momen made the remarks in a video statement circulated through the Internet on Saturday.

He said: “They could have conveyed their complaint, if any, to the foreign ministry maintaining the protocol . . . but instead, they issued public statements, visibly opting for a political exercise going beyond any diplomatic norm.”

A visibly annoyed Momen questioned whether these diplomats “wanted to do politics or contest elections in this country”.

Seven ambassadors, including those from the United States and the United Kingdom, issued a tweet in almost the same language on Thursday, highlighting the importance of the freedom of the press and the media to ensure access to reliable and factual information on the Covid-19 pandemic.

Momen said he would have been happy if diplomats had jointly made a statement expressing their concerns about the problems and the current situation in Rakhine and urged Myanmar to avoid the purging of Rohingya immediately.

The minister, however, described the envoys to be sensible persons with commendable wisdom and expected their qualities to guide them in maintaining the diplomatic norms.

Source: UNB