Diplomats stationed in Dhaka have described the situation centring the quota reform movement as Bangladesh's internal affair, but reiterated their commitment to stand beside Bangladesh, according to Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud.
"It's your internal affair but we are with you," Hasan Mahmud quoted diplomats as saying during their visit to some of the sites of the devastation in the capital on Wednesday.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to foreign missions in Dhaka requesting not to make any comments to media which the diplomats followed accordingly.
"Today, they (diplomats) didn't want to talk to media. That's why we did not invite the media during their visit to affected sites," Hasan said.
The foreign minister also thanked the media as they did not encourage the diplomats to make comments this time.
"In the past, the diplomats were encouraged to talk when such a situation took place," he observed.
The diplomats got "stunned" seeing the destruction at state-run television BTV, metro rail and Bridges Division building.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Diplomats from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Russia, China, Japan, Türkiye, Germany, Italy, Spain, Egypt, Brunei, Algeria and Argentina were present.