Bangladesh has reiterated that it cannot bear the immense socio-economic and environmental costs by hosting over a million of Rohingyas for an indefinite period. “Therefore, these people must be repatriated to their origin in Rakhine State,” said Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, adding that sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis lies in repatriation. He made the call at the open-ended meeting of the OIC ad hoc ministerial committee on accountability for human rights violations against the Rohingyas, held in Islamabad, Pakistan on the sidelines of the 48th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on March 22-23. Read:Myanmar denies genocide, again describes Rohingyas as 'Bengali community' While thanking The Gambia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for supporting legal action, he called for keeping the momentum going to provide justice to Rohingyas, according to a message received here from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The foreign secretary also called for strong solidarity from the member states by contributing voluntarily to meet the legal expenses of the case. Turkey committed US $ 2,00,000 to the fund. The members of the ad- hoc committee praised Bangladesh for hosting this large number of refugees over the years and even proving them Covid vaccine.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen left Dhaka on Wednesday for Tashkent, Uzbekistan to attend an international conference titled “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity - Challenges and Opportunities” which begins on Thursday. Dr Momen will hold a meeting with the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his stay there. “I’ll thank the President of Uzbekistan on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," said the Foreign Minister. Read:Nothing to be sceptical about Chinese vaccines: FM He said he will also hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference, including meetings with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Dr Momen said he will discuss vaccine and Rohingya issues during his engagements in Tashkent. “Repatriation of Rohingyas remains our number one priority. We’ll seek additional efforts.” He said China will give 10 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine as a gift to Bangladesh and he will discuss vaccine issues during his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister. “This is also very good news.” Dr Momen said Bangladesh is a leader in terms of seeking wider connectivity and he will discuss with the Civil Aviation Minister of Uzbekistan to introduce direct Dhaka-Tashkent flight. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev is hosting the two-day global forum to strengthen regional connectivity in the context of the new open foreign policy strategy of Tashkent. The idea is aimed at further deepening economic cooperation in Central Asia, with access to South Asia, which has historically been closely linked to this region in economic, social, cultural and civilizational dimensions. Read: FM to join global conf on South, Central Asia connectivity in Tashkent