DHAKA: Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali has said that Bangladesh won’t engage in war with Myanmar in stopping Rohingya genocide and influx into Bangladesh.  

He said this at a press conference held at State Guest House ‘Padma’ in the capital city on Sunday (September 10).

The press conference was arranged following two separate meetings with the diplomats of European and the Arab countries. Dhaka briefed the diplomats over the Rohingya issue in afternoon.

In the briefings with diplomats, Bangladesh said that Myanmar government should take responsibility of and solve its Rohingya problem. They have to solve the Rohingya crisis, as it is their problem, said AH Mahmood Ali.

According to the minister, the international community extended full support to Bangladesh’s efforts to handle the Rohingya refugees and lauded it wholeheartedly.

AH Mahmood Ali briefed that Bangladesh was already hosting 400,000 Rohingyas previously. Since August, over 300,000 Rohingyas made fresh entry in Bangladesh.

The minister chaired the meetings, while State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque also attended it, among others, on behalf of the government.  

Diplomats of western countries and aid agencies joined the meeting. Diplomats of the United States, United Kingdom, United Nations, European Union, Denmark, Germany and Turkey were among those who were invited in the briefing.

After the meeting, Joel Reifman, deputy chief of US embassy in Dhaka, said that it believes a full implementation of Annan Commission report on Rohingyas would end the current impasse.

BDST: 2142 HRS, SEP 10, 2017
EHJ