Dhaka, Jan. 21 -- Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has thrown his support behind diplomat Md Tauhedul Islam, whom Austria has refused as the Bangladesh ambassador in Vienna.

Momen says that he will defend Tauhedul throughout his term as foreign minister, claiming that the diplomat is the victim of a conspiracy.

The foreign minister faced questions from reporters about the issue in Sylhet on Saturday amid media reports that Vienna rebuffed Dhaka's nomination of Tauhedul as the next ambassador to Austria.

Tauhedul, currently working as the high commissioner to Singapore, was accused of mistreating a female colleague when he was the consul general in Italy's Milan, according to reports.

The reports cited his moral lapse as the reason behi...