Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Tuesday sought urgent action to prepare a comprehensive Rohingya repatriation roadmap involving Myanmar, ASEAN members, the UN, and donor countries.
During a meeting with the visiting Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar Othman Hashim in Dhaka, he highlighted that ASEAN nations are the sufferers of the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) crisis after Bangladesh.
Therefore, special assistant Hossain said more coordinated efforts from ASEAN may contribute to resolve the challenges of Repatriation.
Earlier after exchanging greetings, Special Envoy Othman sought Bangladesh’s views, insights and comments on the matter.
The Foreign Adviser congratulated Othman on his appointment and expressed hope that his tenure as chair would usher in new avenues to resolve the crisis.
He informed that Bangladesh is positively considering assisting an UN-led humanitarian assistance programme in Rakhine in the face of impending famine, which may contribute to stability in Rakhine State.
He highlighted the necessity of early repatriation (read ASAOP)of the FDMNs with agreed rights and security.
The Special Envoy conveyed ASEAN's strong commitment to resolving the crisis and assured that he would make a coordinated effort toward this goal.
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He agreed that the crisis has gone beyond boundaries and highlighted ASEAN's ongoing humanitarian assistance efforts in Myanmar.
The envoy also emphasized that ASEAN nations, like Bangladesh, are also affected by the crisis which needs to be resolved through cooperation in all possible ways.
The ASEAN Chair’s Special Envoy to Myanmar had a separate meeting with Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Foreign Secretary congratulated him and expressed hope that his tenure would enhance cooperation under the ASEAN framework for the repatriation of the Rohingyas.
During the meeting, the Foreign Secretary underscored the importance of the repatriation of the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals to their homeland.
He highlighted that both Bangladesh and ASEAN nations are affected by the crisis and emphasized the need for coordinated efforts. He urged the Special Envoy to implement the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus.
The Foreign Secretary conveyed concerns over Myanmar’s lack of political will in repatriation, escalating recent violence.
He also shed light on the upcoming high level conference on Rohingyas proposed by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.
The Special Envoy expressed the willingness of ASEAN to resolve the crisis.
He also mentioned his recent visit to Myanmar and ongoing humanitarian assistance activities of ASEAN in Myanmar.
He reiterated that ASEAN countries are also victims like Bangladesh and will try to resolve the issue peacefully through safe repatriation.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to resolving the crisis through diplomacy.