Published on 02:27 PM, September 16, 2017

Turkey thanks Bangladesh for hosting Rohingya refugees

Rohingya Muslim refugees disembark from a boat on the Bangladeshi side of Naf river in Teknaf on September 12, 2017. Photo: AFP/ File photo

The Turkish Deputy Prime Minister in a meeting with Bangladesh Ambassador to Turkey thanked the Bangladesh government for hosting a big number of the Rohingya refugees.

In the meeting, Ambassaor to Turkey M Alam Siddiki and Turkey Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and also talked on the ongoing Rohingya crisis, according to a press release issued by the Bangladesh Embassy in Ankara yesterday

"The Government of Bangladesh under the leadership of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been taking best possible measures to give succor to the displaced and distressed Rohingya refugees on purely humanitarian basis," Ambassador M Alam Siddiki was quoted as saying according to the press release.

Siddiki also appreciated the timely effort of the Turkish Government to come to the aid of the Rohingya people.

This has been hailed by the international community as a bold initiative and this is an issue whose origin lies in Myanmar and resolution of the problem lies with the Myanmar authority, the press release added.

 In the meeting they also discussed the possibility of holding the next round of Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting in Ankara and the second round meeting of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiation in Dhaka.

A political solution is being sought by Bangladesh with support of the international community for the Rohingya crisis.