Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen could not go to India to accompany Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina due to illness.
"He is feeling ill. He didn't go with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," an official told UNB on Monday.
At the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is paying a state visit to New Delhi from Monday to Thursday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is visiting India after three years since she last visited in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
The visit is significant for both Bangladesh and India, said the government of Bangladesh.
The visit will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has been making the headlines for some of his controversial comments on India recently.
On August 18, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen reportedly said that he urged the Indian government to back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina so that she can stay in power at a Janmashtami program in Chittagong.
The comment stirred criticism among political parties, netizens, and citizens of Bangladesh.
However, the following day, the foreign minister claimed he told the Indian government that Bangladesh would be happy if India helps the country in maintaining stability, noting that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants stability and communal harmony in Bangladesh.
In this regard, Presidium Member Abdur Rahman said Awami League will not take responsibility for Foreign Minister Ak Abdul Momen’s recent statement on India, as he is not a member of the party.
“Our party’s power does not come from any country’s support. The foreign minister has to explain what he meant by that statement,” he told reporters after a program in the capital’s Dhanmondi on August 20.
Similarly, the next day, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that Dr AK Abdul Momen is an Awami League lawmaker, but he is not a member of the ruling party’s central committee.