He made the remarks while replying to a question from Mozaffar Hossain, MP (Jamalpur-5) in Parliament.
“There’s a demand for land from several embassies/high commissions for shifting all the embassies/high commission offices in Baridhara diplomatic area. However, land scarcity is an important issue. The Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Rajuk and other authorities concerned are in touch in this regard,” the minister said.
Momen said the application for plots by 10 foreign missions is currently under process at the Foreign Ministry. “Especially, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Oman, Kuwait, Myanmar and Afghanistan have been making requests in this regard since the opening of their missions.”
Besides, he said, they got an indication that among the 50 diplomatic missions in Dhaka which are not using their allotted or self-purchased lands may show interest to get plots.
The minister said Dhaka city is witnessing rapid expansion as various development activities are underway in the capital city.
“It’s very difficult to manage sufficient land in the Gulshan and Baridhara diplomatic zones of Dhaka against the new demand for setting up embassies. Under the circumstances, it may be necessary to establish a diplomatic zone in Purbachal to set up foreign missions,” he observed.
Responding to another question from Shahiduzzaman Sarker, MP (Naogaon-2), Abdul Momen said the Hungarian government has sought the consent of the Bangladesh government to set up a consular office here.
He said Hungary's application is being processed while talks are underway to set up an embassy of South African in Bangladesh.