No foreign dignitaries, who were scheduled to join the inauguration of the Mujib Year celebrations, will be attending the events scheduled for March, said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.
“No foreign guests, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Malaysian former prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will attend any event in March in Bangladesh that was planned to mark Mujib Year,” the minister told Dhaka Tribune on Monday.
He made the disclosure to Dhaka Tribune after a roundtable organized in Dhaka marking the Commonwealth Day 2020.
Bangladesh has communicated with Indian Prime Minister Modi regarding the ongoing situation, he added.
Spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Raveesh Kumar, on Monday said: "We have received formal notification from the Government of Bangladesh that a decision has been taken by them to defer the public events being organized to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the Father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on account of the detection of cases of coronavirus in Bangladesh, and the larger global public health situation in this regard.
“The impact of this deferment applies also to the large gathering planned for March 17, at which the prime minister of India was invited. The Government of Bangladesh has advised us that fresh dates for these commemorative events will be conveyed later.
“In this context, the prime minister's visit to Bangladesh next week at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being deferred. While expressing understanding of the circumstances that necessitates this deferment, India is ready to work with Bangladesh, as partners, to combat the spread of this disease in our shared neighbourhood."
Dhaka Tribune’s Ali Asif Shawon contributed to this report
