Cambodia’s Asean Chairmanship a great opportunity for Rohingya repatriation: Momen

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen today said the Cambodian Chairmanship of Asean provides a great opportunity to facilitate safe and dignified return of the Rohingyas, now sheltered in Bangladesh, to Myanmar.

The foreign minister said this to Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, also the country's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, during a telephone conversation.

During the conversation, Momen laid emphasis on the potential security risks to Bangladesh, Myanmar and to the greater region if the Rohingya crisis is left festering for a much longer period of time.

He mentioned the vulnerability of the displaced people to radicalism, extremism, terrorism, cross-border crimes, etc.

Foreign Minister Momen congratulated his Cambodian counterpart on Cambodia's assumption of Asean Chairmanship and on the latter's appointment as the Special Envoy of the Asean Chair to Myanmar.

Referring to the longstanding and excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, Momen mentioned that Bangladesh highly values its relations with Cambodia as an important partner in the neighborhood.

Lauding the "big heart" demonstrated by Bangladesh in sheltering 1.1 million displaced Myanmar nationals, Prak Sokhonn expressed his full understanding of and sympathy for the difficulties being faced by Bangladesh.

He assured of his best efforts in bringing about a sustainable solution to the problem.

Foreign Minister Momen requested Cambodia's support in expediting Bangladesh's bid for Asean Sectoral Dialogue Partnership status. In response, the Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn expressed his endorsement and assured of necessary coordination with the Asean Secretariat in this regard.

Momen also invited his Cambodian counterpart for a visit to Bangladesh and take a firsthand look at the sheltered Rohingyas. The Cambodian foreign minister readily accepted the invitation.