Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has urged journalists in Bangladesh not to seek comments from foreign diplomats regarding Bangladesh’s domestic affairs.
The minister made the call while responding to a question at a press briefing on Tuesday over the recent comments of foreign diplomats regarding the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh.
He alleged that journalists sometimes compelled foreign diplomats to make comments about domestic issues by asking ‘guided questions’.
The minister also described the tendency of lobbying with foreigners about domestic issues as the ‘colonial habit’.
Sharing his experience as Bangladesh’s envoy to the UN in the past, the minister said the journalists in the USA never asked him questions related to their internal issues.
Highlighting the country’s stance, the minister said, “Bangladesh does not need the advice of foreign diplomats.”
“The foreign diplomats are honourable persons, but we do not need their advice. They should maintain diplomatic norms,” he said.
“They are matured and they know the code of conduct and we hope they will behave on their own,” he added.
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