13 foreign envoy warned for violating diplomatic norm

Staff Reporter :
The government has warned the diplomats of different countries, including U

S and European Union, who recently issued a joint statement condemning the attack on independent candidate Hero Alom to distance themselves from intervening in the internal affairs of Bangladesh.
Expressing dissatisfaction over their joint statement, the Foreign Ministry said that such intervention is against the diplomatic norms and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“Today, we have advised them to remember the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and abide by its principles. We have also cautioned them that bypassing the government any behavior devoid of objectivity, neutrality and impartiality will only erode mutual trust,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said on Wednesday.

He came up with these comments in a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy after holding a meeting with the 13 diplomats at the State Guest House Padma. The newly elected candidate Mohammad A Arafat was also present for a short time during the meeting with the diplomats.

Mentioning the meeting’s discussion, Shahriar Alam said, “Some four to five diplomats have attempted to justify their joint statement by stating that it was not driven by any specific intention; rather, they aimed to support our electoral process as part of their ongoing engagement. However, we have rebutted their argument, asserting that the Vienna Convention explicitly specifies that the first point of contact for any envoy should be the ministry of foreign affairs. While we always value their engagement with the media, we have reminded them that they should inform the foreign ministry first before making any statements on any issue.”

“We provided them with examples of how they have full access to communicate with any personnel at the foreign ministry. Despite this, they did not reach out to us before issuing the said statement. Therefore, we have emphasised the importance of adhering to established diplomatic norms,” he said.

In reply to a query whether foreign minister was satisfied with the diplomats reply, he said, “They have given their explanation. We have clearly said them that their statement has shortcomings. It is contradictory with the article 41 (1) and (2) of the Vienna Convention.”

“Without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State. They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State. All official business with the receiving State entrusted to the mission by the sending State shall be conducted with or through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the receiving State or such other ministry as may be agreed,” the Convention read.

“We will convey our dissatisfaction to their respective capitals and strongly urge them to ensure that none of their mission members engages in any similar activity in the future. We have got our result. We also hope that these countries will distance them from such activity in the upcoming days,” he said.

Asked about whether any political issue is working ahead of election with these countries, he said, “Not at all. Even if there is any such issue, the relations can go on when there is friendly or effective relations. Bangladesh has a good relation with each of these countries. We have businesses, people to people contact and communication in think tank level. There in no way will disrupt relations with any country.”

Asked about whether Foreign Ministry has summoned them, he said, “We have invited them. It’s not summoning.”
Earlier, in a unified statement of solidarity and concern, the Embassies/High Commissions of 13 nations and the European Union vehemently condemned the attack on Dhaka-17 constituency candidate Ashraful Alom.

The signatories to the joint statement, representing Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, had emphasised the significance of a free, fair, and peaceful electoral process, read the statement published on the US Embassy website on July 19.
During the briefing State Minister said, “Their joint statement presented the incident in an inconsistent manner, which happened much earlier than the flow of events, and presented it in an immature manner. We hope that after today’s discussion, they will acknowledge the truth and refrain from such undiplomatic behavior in the future,” he said.

Terming the attack on Hero Alom, Shahriar Alam said, “We have said that this is an isolated incident and should not be used to assess the peaceful, free and fair nature of the entire day’s election. Until the end of the voting, he did not face any unpleasant incidents or make any complaints. Other candidates also did not allege any violence or irregularities.”
“Therefore, presenting an isolated incident from the last moments of a center by a few diplomats do not in any way reflects the peaceful nature of the entire day’s election. Their prompt reactions have not given emphasis to the objectivity of their evaluation,” he said.