State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Wednesday expressed his optimism that Bangladesh-Japan relations would further be strengthened through the upcoming prime ministers-level meeting in Tokyo.
“We keep working with this expectation,” he said in a Facebook post, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official visit to Japan will hopefully benefit the common people of the two countries.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to pay the official visit to Japan from November 29 to December 1 at the invitation of her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.
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The State Minister said Bangladesh conveyed necessary messages to Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki which did not need to be shared with the media.
In a separate note on Facebook, he wrote, “If some of you have forgotten: Article 41 paragraph 1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 reminds diplomats to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state and unequivocally restricts them from meddling in that nation's domestic affairs.”
Without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State, according to Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
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They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State and all official business with the receiving State entrusted to the mission by the sending State shall be conducted with or through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the receiving State or such other ministry as may be agreed.
On Monday, Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki said he heard about the example of “ballot box stuffing” and some police officers stuffed the ballot box the previous night which is something he had never heard of in any other country.
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The government said the Japanese side did not raise such an issue in the last four years in any bilateral meeting or any discussion.
Even it was not mentioned in the statement issued by the Japanese Embassy after the 2018 elections which was focused on violence.