NAM Summit: Bangladesh to raise Rohingya issue with Myanmar
Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said he will discuss the Rohingya issue with his Myanmar counterpart on the sidelines of the upcoming NAM Summit in the Ugandan capital Kampala.
“Look, we are always trying diplomatically. We are increasing engagement with them (Myanmar). I am going to the NAM Summit. I am scheduled to meet with the Foreign Minister of Myanmar. We firmly believe that we can resolve this issue diplomatically,” he said today.
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The foreign minister is scheduled to leave for Uganda tomorrow night to attend the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
The Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC, will attend the Non-Aligned Movement Heads of State and Government Summit from January 19 to 20 as a special guest.
Leaders from about 120 countries across the world have converged in the Ugandan capital Kampala for the summit that kicked off initially on Monday.
Leaders from different member states are expected to attend the weeklong summit that seeks to address pressing global issues and foster cooperation among member states.
The government wanted to begin repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar last year, initially with around 1,000 of the refugees, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladesh has given a list of over 3,000 Rohingyas to Myanmar and wants to make sure that families are not separated.
The government of Bangladesh has said the drastic reduction of humanitarian assistance for this persecuted population, which is growing with around 30,000 newborns every year in the camps, is compounding the crisis.
Further delay to commence safe, voluntary, and sustainable repatriation and shortage of humanitarian support may put the entire region at risk.
The socio-economic, demographic, and environmental cost of sheltering more than 1.2 million Rohingyas for such a long time is pushing Bangladesh to the limit.
These forcibly displaced people have aspirations and rights to return to their homeland in a safe and sustainable manner, the foreign ministry said.
