Govt appointed PR firm, not lobbyist: Momen

PBC News:  Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said the Awami League government had appointed a PR (public relations) firm, not lobbyist, to promote good governance and a positive image of Bangladesh.

He said when they (BNP-Jamaat) appointed lobbyists to halt the trials of war criminals, the government appointed the PR firm to change the wrong perception.

“We call it a PR firm, not a lobbyist,” said the Foreign Minister after attending a function in the city while responding to questions from reporters, UNB reports.

He said there is nothing wrong in engaging lobbyists but the objectives of engaging them matter when its aim is to harm the country and its interests.

Referring to appointment of lobbyists by BNP, the Foreign Minister said the key objective of that was to harm the country and its interests.

“There might be a quarrel between you and me. But it’s very unfortunate if the country’s interests are sacrificed for that,” he added.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr Momen inaugurated a month-long exhibition at the Liberation War Museum as the chief guest while State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman, MP, attended it as a special guest.

The Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)and the Liberation War Museum of Bangladesh have jointly brought this exhibition to Dhaka, in collaboration with the Photo Elysée Museum of Lausanne, Switzerland.