Foreign minister explains his comment on ‘people living in heaven’

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has explained a day after his comment that people are living in heaven in comparison to other countries.

He made the explanation while speaking to the newspersons after a scholarship award giving ceremony organised by Sylhet zila parishad.

The foreign minister’s comment has drawn massive criticism after it was published in the newspapers on Friday.

Abdul Momen said, “Yes, I talked about heaven in comparison to other countries. However, many of you (news media) have written that I have said of heaven. It means that my comment has been twisted without mentioning that our inflation rate is quite lower than many other countries.”

“The inflation rate in England is 12 per cent, 67 per cent in Turkiye, 37 per cent in Pakistan and 150 per cent in Sri Lanka while our inflation rate is some 7 per cent. From that point of view, we are doing much better than others,” he added.

Addressing the newspersons, the foreign minister said, “I have said we are in much better condition in comparison to other countries. We are in heaven as compared to those countries, that’s what I said. But you (newspersons) published quite the opposite.”

Regarding the excavation of the common rivers of India and Bangladesh, AK Abdul Momen said, “A decision on six of these rivers can be taken in the joint river commission meeting before prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India. The prime minister will visit India early next month. The much-awaited meeting of Bangladesh-India Joint River Commission will be held before her visit. There may be progress on the Kushiyara river in the Sylhet region.”

Earlier on Friday, after a meeting on the land acquisition for the Sylhet Osmani International Airport expansion project, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said to reporters , “The people in Bangladesh are doing better than other countries amid the on-going global recession. We are fine and living in heaven. A vested quarter is trying to spread a propaganda that Bangladesh will become Sri Lanka to create a panic, which has no basis.”