Dean of diplomatic corps, Dominican Republic ambassador Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, met foreign secretary S.Jaishankar on Thursday to express the difficulties that diplomatic missions were facing with the demonetisation rules in place. The corps represents around 157 missions. Castellanos invoked the Vienna Convention, one of whose clauses is that foreign missions should be allowed to conduct their business freely.
"The finance ministry, as a consequence, is being asked to issue directives to banks to allow embassy officials with identity cards to withdraw money on a priority basis,'' said Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup, adding that “they discussed how best to tackle the issues.” Swarup further said, “We appreciate learning from the dean that a vast majority of foreign missions understand that the demonetisation exercise is being conducted to combat the menace of black money and tax avoidance. We are confident that the missions would bear with the temporary difficulties that arise in the process, even as we seek to address their concerns.”
Russia was among the first countries to raise the issue with the MEA that the ceiling of withdrawal, Rs 50,000 per week, was becoming a problem. Subsequently, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Sudan, too, wrote to the Centre on the same issue. Pakistan had also alleged that its officials were not allowed to withdraw money from a bank. India then said that it was a matter between the bank and the High Commission. Swarup, on Thursday, added that "we have not received a complaint from Pakistan''.
