Momen seeks Italy’s support

Bangladesh has sought a stronger pressure to be put on Myanmar by the international community to make sure that Myanmar takes the Rohingyas back in a “safe, dignified and sustainable” manner on an urgent basis.

Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas who have fled their homeland in Rakhine State of Myanmar after being persecuted by their own state.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, during his visit to Italy on Monday, discussed the issue and stressed that the international community needs to take urgent steps to resolve the crisis, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh yesterday.

Two attempts of Rohingya repatriation went unsuccessful as Myanmar “failed to remove trust deficit” among Rohingyas and “lack of conducive environment” in Rakhine State for their return. 

On October 24, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee called for sanctions on Myanmar military-run companies and commanders responsible for serious rights violations.

Dr Momen, who is on an official trip to Europe, met Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Italy Manlio De Stefano Manlio at the Italian Foreign Ministry and World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley in Rome on Monday and raised the issue. 

The foreign minister also briefed Manlio De Stefano on the Rohingya crisis, and emphasised that the international community needs to put strong pressure on Myanmar for taking back the Rohingyas from Bangladesh in a safe, dignified and sustainable manner on an urgent basis.

The Italian undersecretary of state commended the humanitarian role of Bangladesh in providing shelter to Rohingyas, and informed that the government of Italy strongly supports the cause of Rohingyas.

He assured that Italy, both within the EU and also separately, will keep pursuing for early resolution of Rohingya crisis.

At a separate meeting, Foreign Minister Dr Momen said the WFP needs to do more for “voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable” return of Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar.

Dr Momen appreciated the longstanding relationship between Bangladesh and the WFP involved in humanitarian assistance to Rohingyas in the camps in Cox’s Bazar.

President of the WFP Executive Board Ambassador Hisham Mohamed Badr, who visited Bangladesh along with a delegation last week, briefed Dr Momen on their official visit to Rohingya camps.

President of the board and all members of the delegation strongly commended Bangladesh’s humanitarian stance regarding the Rohingyas.

The WFP executive director expressed profound appreciation of Bangladesh for the extraordinary humanitarian gesture of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by providing shelter to the 1.1 million Rohingyas who have fled their homeland in Rakhine State of Myanmar after being persecuted by their own state.

He pointed out that a strong pressure needs to be put on Myanmar to ensure that its government takes back the Rohingyas who have taken shelter in Bangladesh in a safe, dignified and sustainable manner on an urgent basis.

During the meeting, the executive director as well as the president of the executive board of WFP assured Foreign Minister Dr Momen that WFP will do everything possible within its mandate for early resolution of the Rohingya crisis.