Shawdesh desk:

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said that there was no reason for new sanctions, and if that happens it will be very unfortunate.

He said he does not have any idea on new sanctions as it depends on individual countries.

‘We hope good sense will prevail,’ Momen told reporters at a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh capitral Dhaka.

The briefing was arranged to inform the media on prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Qatar visit that begins Monday afternoon. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Seheli Sabrin, among others, was present.

Last night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested and condemned part of a media report, terming it ‘false, baseless’ and done with an ‘ulterior motive.’

The foreign minister reiterated that he had never worked as a Chinese firm’s lobbyist before becoming a minister.

Rather, he said, he stayed in the United States and worked there. ‘This (the media report) is something very strange,’ he said.

‘It was very strange and surprising. No reference (source) is mentioned,’ Momen said regarding the report that claimed that new sanctions were coming.

He referred to agriculture minister Abdur Razzaque who also said there is no reason to impose sanctions.

Referring to the news published in a Bangla daily, titled ‘US sanctions coming, government remains ready,’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last night said in a part of the report, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen ‘was defamed.’

The report mentioned that Momen worked as a lobbyist for a Chinese organisation before becoming a minister. ‘It is completely false and baseless,’ the ministry said in a media release.

Through such lies about AK Abdul Momen, the image of the government has been tarnished along with defaming him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.