European Union (EU) ambassadors in Bangladesh are not attending Monday’s Victory Day programmes organised by the government, sources concerned told The Independent on Sunday night. The envoys cited that ‘their own coordination meeting’ coincided with the Victory Day programmes. According to government officials, the EU ambassadors ‘will violate diplomatic norms if they refrain from attending Victory Day celebrations’.
Earlier in the day, the EU, through a faxed message, informed the foreign ministry of their ‘inability’ to join the Victory Day programmes as ‘a coordination meeting’ of the EU would be held on Monday.
However, the message did not clearly state whether they are skipping the programme at Savar national memorial in the morning or the reception party to be hosted by President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban in the afternoon.
According to government sources, officials concerned talked to top diplomats of some EU countries and requested them to reconsider their decision, but the EU envoys did not change their decision.
The foreign ministry later sent a message to the EU stating that the government was not happy with their position, the sources said.
-With The Independent input
