Bangladesh wants immediate and unconditional implementation of the Kofi Annan Commission's recommendations to face the ongoing Rohingya crisis.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque on Monday said Bangladesh also urged the international community to put pressure on Myanmar to implement the report for permanent solution to this crisis, reports UNB.
He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after a diplomatic briefing at State Guesthouse Padma.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali briefed the diplomats about Rohingya situation. State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam was also present.
Replying to a question what the Chinese and Indian envoys told them about the crisis, Shahidul said, “As China and India are our brotherly countries, they expressed solidarity with Bangladesh and assured us of staying with us to face the situation.”
As his attention was drawn to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support to Myanmar, the Foreign Secretary declined the make any comment on it.”
The foreign minister also requested the international community to help Bangladesh with urgent humanitarian assistances to address the current crisis, the secretary said.
The government official said Bangladesh sought political support to ensure sustainable return of all Myanmar nationals to their homes in Myanmar.
He said Mahmood Ali told the diplomats that Myanmar should urgently end killing Rohingyas and repression on them to stop their entry into Bangladesh. “Myanmar can take back its citizens after ascertaining their nationality through verifications.”
Shahidul said they still did not get any response from Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
The Foreign Secretary said all the diplomats attended the meeting voiced deep concern over Bangladesh’s additional burden and humanitarian crisis following the influx of the huge refugees.
Shahidul said the Foreign Minister highlighted that Bangladesh has always preferred having a bilateral solution to this longstanding problem and was successful in repatriating 236,599 Rohingyas to their homeland through a bilateral agreement in 1992.
He mentioned that the 1992 agreement recognised Rohingyas as ‘members of Myanmar society’.
The Foreign Minister also highlighted Bangladesh’s efforts to address the security concerns of Myanmar, particularly by proposing MoUs in 2014 on Border Liaison Office and Security Dialogue.
On Sunday, Mahmood Ali held two back-to-back diplomatic briefings at the State Guesthouse Padma on the Rohingya problem.
