The government does not see any reason for the United States to impose new sanctions on Bangladesh as reported by a Bengali daily.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday even said they do not have any idea about new sanctions coming to Bangladesh.
“We don’t have any idea (about sanctions),” he said, replying to a question at a press briefing on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Qatar visit.
“There is no reason for the US to impose sanctions afresh,” he said.
However, it depends on the individual country, he said.
“It was very strange and surprising. No reference or source is mentioned in the report,” Dr Momen said.
Bangladesh-US relationship is wide-ranging. But after a sanction on the elite police force RAB in 2021, there have been apprehensions that more sanctions would come in future.
The two countries, however, at different levels expressed their eagerness to further bolster bilateral ties for the next 50 years, building on the solid foundation of the past 50 years.
In the last foreign minister level talk between Dr Momen and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, both the leaders expressed satisfaction over the existing bilateral relations and echoed their desire to further enhance bilateral ties for the next 50 years, building on the solid foundation of the past a half a century.
They termed the Bangladesh-US relationship wide-ranging, dynamic and multifaceted.
“If any new US sanctions are imposed, it’ll be unfortunate,” the foreign minister on Monday said. “We hope good sense will prevail”.
The Kalbela newspaper in that sanction related story also said that Dr Momen used to work with a Chinese lobbyist firm before becoming a minister.
The foreign ministry strongly protested and condemned that part of the report terming it "false and baseless".
It was done with an "ulterior motive”, the foreign ministry said in a protest note.
The foreign minister on Monday said he had never worked as a Chinese firm lobbyist before becoming a minister.
“Rather I stayed in the USA and worked there. This is something very strange (media report),” he said.
The foreign ministry said through such lies in the name of Dr Momen, the image of the government has been tarnished along with his defamation.