DHAKA : Bangladesh will use its position at the United
Nations to bring the protracted Rohingya crisis back to the centre of global
diplomatic discourse, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said
here today.
“We will utilize our position at the UN General Assembly
(UNGA) to reinforce the importance of this crisis on the multilateral global
stage and at the top forums like the UN,” he told journalists.
Kobir was talking to reporters after attending the
international conference titled “Protracted Rohingya Crisis: The Search for a
Comprehensive Approach” at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
The state minister said Dhaka remains optimistic about
resolving the crisis through diplomatic channels despite its gravity and
complexity, and would intensify engagement at both bilateral and multilateral
levels.
He said Bangladesh would work collectively with its
international partners to keep the Rohingya issue in focus, sustain financial
assistance and find a peaceful and sustainable solution that would enable the
forcibly displaced Rohingyas to return to Rakhine State safely and with
dignity.
“We will work collectively through both bilateral and
multilateral tracks to ensure the phased repatriation of the Rohingyas to their
homeland and achieve a permanent resolution,” Kobir said.
The state minister said Bangladesh would engage major
partners having interests and influence in Myanmar, including China, alongside
ASEAN member states, the United States, Saudi Arabia, UN agencies and other
multilateral institutions.
He said several of these partners have contributed at
different times to financing humanitarian operations and sustaining the Rohingya
camps in Bangladesh.
Kobir, however, said no rigid timeframe could be set for
resolving such a complex and longstanding crisis, although diplomatic efforts
need to move rapidly.
“One cannot abruptly set a rigid timeframe for such
complex matters. Patience is required, though diplomatic efforts must move at a
rapid pace,” he said.
The state minister said the government under the
leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman considers resolving the Rohingya
crisis a top priority as the issue has significant implications for
Bangladesh’s national security.
“We cannot make claims that we will resolve this tomorrow,
but we are optimistic about moving toward a practical and acceptable solution
swiftly,” he said.
Kobir said Bangladesh had opened its borders on
humanitarian grounds to save the lives of the persecuted Rohingyas despite the
enormous pressure their presence has placed on the country’s limited land and
resources.
He stressed that the Rohingya crisis should not be treated
as Bangladesh’s responsibility alone, saying it is a global issue requiring
meaningful international responsibility and burden-sharing.
“The international community cannot just offer verbal
sympathy,” he said, urging international partners to step up financial
assistance and actively participate in diplomatic and backchannel negotiations
with Myanmar to help resolve the crisis.
The state minister warned that failure to find a
sustainable solution could have consequences beyond Bangladesh, with the
prolonged crisis potentially spilling over into the wider region and beyond.
He therefore called upon the international community to
stand beside Bangladesh and work through both bilateral and multilateral
channels to facilitate the Rohingyas’ safe, dignified and sustainable return to
their homeland.
