Foreign minister affirms willingness to hold dialogue, stresses realistic solutions

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Tuesday that the government is willing to hold dialogue but needs to consider with whom it will do so.

"We have no problem holding dialogue. We do not want to undermine democracy. We will do everything to uphold democratic values, and if it requires dialogue, we are ready. However, we must consider with whom we will engage in the dialogue," the Foreign Minister said when asked to comment on the US proposal for dialogue.

Earlier,  the US Ambassdor to Bangladesh Peter Hass handed over a letter from the Assistant Secretary of the State Department, Donald Lu, to the Awami League, BNP, and Jatiya Party.

In the letter, the US urged the three major political parties of Bangladesh to hold a dialogue to resolve the current political stalemate over the nature of the election-time government.

Dr Momen emphasised that Bangladesh is a free country, where everyone feels free to express their opinions and suggestions. He added that even countries like the US are not as free as Bangladesh, as outsiders are not allowed to suggest domestic policies there.

“We are open to solutions from our friendly countries, and we accept solutions that are constructive in this regard,” he said. In this context, he pointed out that these suggestions should be realistic. "Somebody suggested fixing the minimum monthly wage for garment workers at TK 25 thousand. We would love to do that, but it is not realistic and feasible," he argued, noting that entrepreneurs cannot run an industry with such high wages.

However, he mentioned that when friendly countries suggested amending the Digital Security Act, Bangladesh accepted it. He also referred to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's remarks, who recently said she would engage in dialogue with opposition parties if US President Joe Biden holds dialogue with former US President Donald Trump.

The foreign minister, who arrived home after joining the summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on November 12, said that the OIC condemns the brutal military campaign by Israeli forces in Gaza. He added that it also prescribes a two-state solution to resolve the Palestinian problem.

He also mentioned that although some countries proposed using it as a rationale for boycotting Israel, it was not fast, as the majority of countries oppose it.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com