Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh would not be a Sri Lanka as its condition is far better compared with other countries and people here are living in heaven, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen claimed on Friday.
“Bangladesh will not be a Sri Lanka. A section of people are spreading panic which in reality has no grounds. We are in heaven compared with other countries amid the global economic meltdown,” he said.
The Foreign Minister said this while addressing a view exchange meeting on the occasion of the expansion project for the Sylhet Osmany International Airport in Sylhet.
When the economists and experts are expressing concerns over the depletion of the foreign reserves, Dr Momen said that Bangladesh has adequate reserve and the government has been trying to be economical.
“We have enough reserve. We are trying to be economical in order to contain the crisis in the days to come,” he added.
Responding to a query about Bangladesh’ position to collect information about the deposited money by its nationals in different Swiss banks, the Foreign Minister said, “When we ask for information about the laundered money, they don’t reveal it. It is their inherent problem.”
In reply to another question whether Bangladesh will again ask Swiss banks for information of money launderers, he said, “Finance Ministry and Bangladesh Bank sought information of 67 people from them. We have got information about one person.”
“A number of times we sought information but the current Swiss envoy to Bangladesh said that no information was asked for. This Ambassador has got new appointment so she does not know many things,” Momen said.
He also called upon Switzerland not to spread any misinformation as this country is a friend of Bangladesh.
Earlier on Wednesday during the DCAB Talks, the Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard said that the Bangladesh government did not want any specific information of the deposited money of the Bangladeshi nationals.
She further said that there were allegations about the deposited money that it has mostly been amassed through illegal means.
Against this backdrop, Foreign Minister on Thursday said that she (ambassador) had told a lie because Bangladesh sought information from the Swiss banks several times but the bank authorities did not cooperate.
The Swiss National Bank, the central bank of Switzerland, in its annual report in June found that the Bangladeshi account holders deposited some Tk 3,000 crore in different Swiss Banks last year.
