Foreign minister Momen won’t go to Pakistan

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen will not participate in the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) scheduled to be held on 22-23 March in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

Foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen revealed this development to Prothom Alo and said that he will lead the Bangladeshi delegation instead of the minister.

He said Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi invited his Bangladeshi counterpart to join the OIC meeting. But the foreign minister Momen fell ill upon his return from Turkey recently and decided to take rest as per the advice of physicians.

The minister-level meetings between the two countries are virtually stopped due to strained bilateral relations.

Bangladeshi ministers-state ministers shun not only bilateral meetings but also multilateral meetings held in Pakistan.

The Pakistan government called a minister-level meeting of OIC members over the Afghanistan situation last December. Although set to participate in that meeting, state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam cancelled his visit at the last moment.

The authorities cited the state minister’s reported illness as a reason for cancelling the visit. Foreign secretary Momen represented Bangladesh in that meeting too.

The Pakistan government called a minister-level meeting of OIC members over the Afghanistan situation last December. Although set to participate in that meeting, state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam cancelled his visit at the last moment.

The authorities cited the state minister’s reported illnesses as a reason for cancelling the visit. Foreign secretary Momen represented Bangladesh in that meeting too.