The government on Wednesday protested against a statement of the US secretary of state Michael R Pompeo.
In his statement, Pompeo mentioned Bangladesh as a place where the terrorist group Al-Qaida carried out attacks, falsely apprehending similar terrorist attacks in future, said a foreign ministry press release.
‘Such irresponsible comment by a senior leader is very unfortunate and unacceptable,’ it said.
The ministry said that Bangladesh strongly rejected the ‘baseless remarks and falsification’, stating that there is no evidence of any presence of Al-Qaida in the country.
Bangladesh has been undertaking all possible measures and actions to address the menace, said the release.
The ministry said that the US secretary of state’s referring to Bangladesh as a possible location for Al-Qaida operations was indeed unfounded and offered no evidence.
If any such claim could be substantiated with evidence, the government would be happy to take necessary measures against such activities, it said.
However, if such a statement is made out of speculation, it is very unfortunate, especially in the context of the ever-growing bilateral ties between the two friendly countries based on shared values, peace and common goals, the ministry said.❐
