Bangladesh has every interest to see lasting peace, stability and democracy in Myanmar, and a conducive environment in Rakhine State for the Rohingya to have confidence to go back there in safety and dignity”, affirmed Foreign Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain at an Informal Consultation at the Ministerial level among Myanmar and its five neighbouring countries.
The six-nation consultation was held here this morning under the Chairmanship of the Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa. The meeting was attended, among others, by the Myanmar Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister U Than Swe.
The Bangladesh Foreign Adviser expressed concerns over the protracted Rohingya humanitarian situation, aggravated by an added influx of 60,000 people from Myanmar in the last couple of months. He also raised serious concerns over the ongoing armed conflicts along the border areas as well as transnational organized crimes, involving trafficking in persons, drugs and arms.
Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain reiterated the call for a comprehensive roadmap for Rohingya repatriation with priority attached to ensuring stability in Rakhine State. He urged ASEAN and other key regional actors to play a further pro-active role in restoring peace, security and democracy in Myanmar. He offered necessary support from Bangladesh, including for rebuilding the Rakhine State economy, when the time is right.
The Bangladesh Adviser echoed the three-point proposals made by the Inerim Government Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September this year. He hoped that the International Conference on the Rohingya issue would be held in the first part of 2025, as decided by UNGA Third Committee.
He also suggested further intelligence sharing and cooperation among the concerned law enforcement and border agencies for combating transnational crimes, including those around online scam centres.
The Myanmar DPM and Foreign Minister briefed the meeting about efforts being taken by his government to have dialogues with different Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs), create the environment for holding elections in 2025, combat transnational organized crimes that reportedly fuel armed conflicts, and develop enabling support structures for the return of displaced persons, including those from the Rakhine State.
The Heads of Chinese and Indian delegations reaffirmed their support for a Myanmar-led and owned peace process for durable regional security and development. They flagged their respective efforts to promote dialogues among different parties in Myanmar to help them find common grounds for an inclusive and stable dispensation in the country.
The Thai Foreign Minister underscored the need for such informal consultations among the neighbouring countries in order to promote law and order across border areas, put a coordinated front against criminal operatives, and support Myanmar in its quest for a peaceful and inclusive future.
Earlier, upon arrival in Bangkok, the Bangladesh Foreign Adviser had a bilateral meeting with his Myanmar counterpart. They agreed to pursue cooperation in areas of shared interest, and to continue working together to resolve the Rohingya crisis in light of the arrangements agreed between the two parties earlier.
Foreign Adviser Touhid also had bilateral meetings with the Foreign Minister of Lao PDR and the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of China to exchange views on relevant bilateral and multilateral issues. During these meetings, Adviser Touhid again emphasized the importance of a viable roadmap by Myanmar authorities concerning voluntary, safe and dignified Rohingya repatriation in a time-bound manner.
The meeting today will be followed by an ASEAN-level Informal Extended Consultation here tomorrow to discuss progress with the regional forum’s Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar and related issues.