Bangladesh engaging with Arakan Army for safe Rohingya repatriation: State Minister
The Bangladesh government is engaging with all parties, including the Arakan Army, to ensure the safe and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas who fled persecution in Myanmar and took refuge in Bangladesh, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed said on Sunday.
“This is a political problem. So, it would not be right to assume that such problems can always be resolved through diplomatic channels. We are talking to the Myanmar government. We have also established contact with the Arakan Army and are holding discussions with them,” she said while attending a seminar on policies for Rohingya repatriation organised by the Policy Research Centre.
Neeti Gobeshona Kendro organised the national policy dialogue titled "A Sustainable Approach to the Resolution of the Rohingya Crisis: Outline of a National Strategy and External Contribution" at the CIRDAP Auditorium.
Shama Obaed said the previous government, which was not elected through a popular vote, lacked the confidence and political legitimacy to engage with the relevant parties.
“The previous government did not have the ground beneath its feet to negotiate with China, India, Myanmar or the Arakan Army with the necessary guts. The current government is establishing these contacts through the formation of a special committee,” she said.
The state minister said Myanmar's current political situation had made it necessary for Bangladesh to engage with all parties.
She said the Rohingya crisis must be resolved through political consensus and that the international community must put pressure on every stakeholder in Myanmar to help resolve the problem.
Referring to what she described as a consensus among the Myanmar government and other parties against allowing the Rohingyas to return, Shama Obaed said, “We have to put pressure on them to change their opinion. The Rohingya people belong to their own country, and they deserve to return to their own country.”
She also said the BNP-led government was interested in working towards a solution to the Rohingya crisis through a formal national consensus involving all political parties.
Earlier on November 4, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman sought China's cooperation in resolving the protracted Rohingya crisis, highlighting the mounting economic, social, demographic and environmental pressures Bangladesh faces from hosting 1.3 million refugees.
The prime minister's appeal comes as Bangladesh continues to shoulder the burden of hosting a large Rohingya population who fled persecution in Myanmar, with efforts to secure their safe and voluntary repatriation yet to produce a lasting solution.