LDC graduates should be rewarded, not punished: Momen

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said LDC graduation is a success story – so, the graduates should be rewarded, not punished.

“I’m thankful to the UN secretary-general because he said graduation must not be punished but rewarded,” he added.

Momen was speaking at the seminar “Role of Media in Pursuing Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy” organised to mark the 25th founding anniversary of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Bangladesh (DCAB) in the city. He attended the event online.

The foreign minister also said: “The development partners agreed to provide us with additional funding to save the Earth. Unfortunately, not a single penny has been given to the climate fund till today.”

He proposed that the developed countries that spend any money on defence allocate 10 percent of their expenditure to the climate fund.

The foreign minister also said: “We know that unless there is peace and stability in a country, it is very difficult for that country to prosper. Look at the countries that did very well. Take the example of a small country like Singapore. It had the same government for over 56 years. Rwanda has had the same government over the last 26 years.”

“But also look at the countries where there is no regional peace – for example, Syria, Libya, and Yemen. So, whenever there is no regional peace and stability, there is no internal peace and stability. Only those countries do well where there is peace and stability.”

He added that over the last 14 years, Bangladesh has had a very stable government. “No wonder Bangladesh did very well. And if there is any problem, we would like to resolve that problem through dialogue and discussion. And our examples are very bright to have resolved most of our problems with the neighbours through dialogue and discussion peacefully.”

At the programme, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said the journalists played a very responsible role during Bangladesh’s legal battle to establish its rights on the maritime boundary, considering the sensitivity of the issue and the national interest of the country.

Although a few journalists knew about the cases being filed, they did not make them public, he added.

Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shaymal Dutta, senior journalist Anis Alamgir, former ambassador Humayun Kabir, DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus, and General Secretary Emrul Kayes were present at the event.