Bangladesh
Bangladesh-Japan MFA gives 'message' to Japanese Ambassador for commenting on elections
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, Nov 17: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called the Japanese Ambassador to Dhaka Ito Naoki for his recent statement regarding the 11th National Election of Bangladesh. But nothing is known about what message was given.
On Wednesday (November 16), State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam disclosed this information on his verified Facebook page. The state minister wrote in a post at 4:59 pm, "We called the Japanese ambassador in Bangladesh. We told him everything he needed to say. I don't think it is necessary to tell everything in detail in the media. Therefore, we do not want to make any statement in any media about this matter."
Shahriar Alam also wrote, Bangladesh-Japan relations will deepen through the upcoming Prime Ministerial level meeting. We are working on this expectation. I hope this visit will benefit the common people of Bangladesh and Japan. According to a source in the Ministry of External Affairs, the Japanese ambassador was called to the state guest house Padma on Tuesday. Dhaka's message has been given in this regard. Besides, it is said that the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister was also discussed.
On November 14, the Ambassador of Japan openly commented on the Bangladesh election at the 'Meet the Ambassador' event organized by the Center for Governance Studies (CGS). The ambassador said, "There is an importance of global opinion on elections. Japan expressed concern after the 2018 election. We have heard of ballot boxes being stuffed the night before the election, which is unheard of anywhere else in the world. I hope, this time there will not be such an opportunity or such an incident will not happen."
Questioning the professionalism of those organizing such events with the ambassador of Japan, the state minister said, the purpose behind it will be investigated. He announced strict action against violators of diplomatic etiquette. Shahriar Alam also commented that there is no need for the advice of foreign friends regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections.
