Dhaka signed no deal with Riyadh for troop deployment: FM

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday informed the parliament that Bangladesh did not sign any agreement with Saudi Arabia over troop deployment as it had only inked a memorandum of understand on defence cooperation.
‘Under the memorandum, there’s a firm conviction not to take any measure against any third party,’ he said joining the general discussion on the thanksgiving motion on the president’s speech in the House.
‘Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have signed no agreement over troop deployment. Rather a memorandum has been inked on defence affairs,’ he said, adding that signing the memorandum had in no way violated the constitution of Bangladesh.
‘No question can be raised. Article 25 of the constitution was not violated through this memorandum,’ the foreign minister told the House.
The main theme of this memorandum was to contribute towards enhancing international stability through mutual cooperation, he said.
According to the memorandum, the defence forces of the two countries would cooperate with each other in military trainings, exercise, education, medical treatment, research and defence industry, exchange military information, intelligence information, military visits and skills, and participate in sociocultural activities, he said.
Under the memorandum, the signatories would also cooperate with each other in different areas, including military protection and facing pirates, Abdul Momen said.
He said that the Saudi Arabia was very friendly with Bangladesh in facing international extremism.
Following the request of Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh had promised to extend its hands of cooperation in case of facing any possible threat on the two holy mosques — Makkah and Medina — he added.
The government of prime minister Sheikh Hasina was committed to upholding the dignity of the constitution.
On February 14 last, two senior members of parliament — Rashed Khan Menon and Fakhrul Imam —demanded a statement in parliament from the foreign minister on the signing of a ‘defence pact’ between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net