Bangladesh has praised the UN investigators’ report on the Rohingya issue and said Myanmar’s rejection is “very natural”.
“Bangladesh believes this is the most comprehensive, factual and crucial report since the attack in August last year,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said, adding that this is also the “most important” report, reports bdnews24.
Replying to a question at a press briefing on Wednesday, he, however, said it is “very natural” that Myanmar will reject that. “That does not matter.”
“The world knows everything. Bangladesh has dealt with the issue patiently keeping the neighbourly relations intact,” he said.
A Myanmar government spokesman on Tuesday rejected the report by United Nations investigators that called for top generals to be prosecuted for genocide, saying the international community was making "false allegations".
His comments came a day after the UN report, which marked the first time the organisation has explicitly called for Myanmar officials to face genocide charges over a brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims last year.
Myanmar did not allow UN investigators to enter the country.
Over 0.7 million (700,000) people have fled from their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine State into Bangladesh since August 25 last year following local troops' crackdown on them.
The UN described the action as “ethnic cleansing”.
The state minister said Bangladesh is focusing on three aspects of the crisis for their sustainable return – humanitarian aspect, repatriation and accountability for those who committed the crimes in the Rakhine State.
The press briefing was organised on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Nepal to attend the BIMSTEC summit from Aug 30-31.
Myanmar is also a member of the Bay of Bengal grouping that unites South Asian and Southeast Asian nations – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Replying to a question, the state minister said the Rohingya crisis would not affect the BIMSTEC process as it is solely economic and technical cooperation.
Alam said Bangladesh was always mindful that the bilateral ties are not harmed by one crisis.
“One of the outcomes of the BIMSTEC summit would the signing of a MoU on grid connectivity which is already agreed upon by all member states, including Myanmar,” he said
Myanmar will be represented by its president.