Momen Unhappy With Palestinian Ambassador's Statement about Change in Passport

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has expressed dissatisfaction with the statement of the Palestinian Ambassador Yousef SY Ramadan regarding the omission of the words "Except Israel" from Bangladeshi passports.

"Bangladesh will take its decision itself. What other countries say is completely irrelevant," said the Minister, responding to a query from journalists after a program at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka today.

The Foreign Minister further said that Bangladesh is a sovereign country and it will decide its own course of action.

Earlier, the Palestinian Ambassador in Dhaka, Yousef SY Ramadan, said on 23 May that it was unacceptable to Palestine that Bangladesh authorities omitted the words "except Israel" from Bangladeshi passports, dismissing the notion that the action is necessary to meet the global standard.