Envoys’ meddling in internal affairs is not acceptable

Diplomatic Correspondent :
The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned the Japanese Ambassador in Bangladesh Ito Naoki to convey the government’s message for his recent comment about ‘stuffing ballot boxes’ ahead of election in the last parliamentary election.
“We summoned the Japanese Ambassador in Bangladesh. We have told him what is needed to tell. We don’t think that it is necessary to share everything in detail with the mass media. We don’t want to deliver any comment about the issue further in the media,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam wrote it on his verified Facebook on Wednesday.
“We keep working with the expectation that the Bangladesh-Japan relations will be strengthened through the upcoming prime ministers-level meeting. This visit will hopefully benefit the common people of the two countries,” he continued. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to pay an official visit to Japan from November 29 to December 1 at the invitation of her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.
Mentioning Vienna Convention, Shahriar Alam also wrote, “If some of you have forgotten: Article 41 paragraph 1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 reminds diplomats to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state and unequivocally restricts them from meddling in that nation’s domestic affairs.”
Earlier on Monday, Japanese ambassador in a progarmme “Meet the Ambassador” in the capital said “I have heard that in the last election police personnel stuffed the ballot boxes at night before the voting. I have never heard of such an instance in any other country.”
After such remarks of Japanese envoy, a number of government ministers expressed their reactions and urged the foreign diplomats to refrain from making comments about the internal issues of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque in Meherpur on Wednesday said that no foreign interventions would be accepted in the election.
He also said that the foreigners who were making comments about elections would be warned.
“Any interventions of the diplomats in the internal affairs of Bangladesh will not be tolerated, let alone Japan. They will be warned about it. Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign state. This land will never bow down its head before anyone. We have to uphold the dignity of the country by any means.”
He also said, “As per Article 126 of the Constitution, the Election Commission will conduct election. District administration and police will assist EC. It is their ethical responsibility. Prime Minister has directed it to them. The next election will be acceptable. BNP’s movement will be tackled politically.”