Dhaka wants peaceful resolve of Rohingya issue: FM

Published: October 01, 2017 17:00:20 | Updated: October 25, 2017 03:26:14

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali Sunday said Bangladesh wants peaceful resolve of the Rohingya issue soon in line with the five-point proposal made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the recently concluded UN General Assembly.

"Bangladesh believes in peaceful settlement of international dispute...In line with our Prime Minister's five-point proposal in the UN General Assembly, we would like to peacefully resolve this issue at the earliest possible," he said.

The foreign minister was addressing the Opening Ceremony of Preparatory Meeting on Smart Pledges at a city hotel. Ms. Lisa M. Buttenheim, Assistant Secretary General, Department of Field Support also spoke on the occasion, among others, reports BSS.

Ali said Bangladesh is currently facing a severe crisis due to influx of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, who have entered Bangladesh to flee ethnic cleansing in their own country.

"Despite space and resource constraint Bangladesh has given the displaced more than half a million Myanmar nationals shelter solely on humanitarian consideration even though it had been hosting nearly 400,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar for three decades," he added.

The foreign minister said the 'protracted presence of these forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in our country is creating multidimensional problem for us'.

Referring to UN peacekeeping operations, Ali said Bangladesh attaches high importance on peacekeeping to promote international peace and security as 'UN Peacekeeping is a core element of Bangladesh's foreign policy'.