The visiting OIC delegation led by Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Ambassador Youssef Aldobeay has lauded the relocation of Rohingya refugees in Bhasan Char and expressed their continued support to Bangladesh and The Gambia in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
They conveyed this to Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam during separate meetings at their offices on Monday.
Aldobeay reiterated OIC’s full solidarity to Bangladesh for providing shelter to more than 1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, and stated that OIC is beside the government of Bangladesh and will continue to support Bangladesh in the ICJ case, the foreign ministry said.
They applauded the initiatives taken by Bangladesh in relation to Bhashan Char and commended the role of the government of Bangladesh in particular the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, referring her as the “Mother of Humanity”.
The Foreign Minister welcomed the OIC delegation to Bangladesh and briefed them on the overall construction of Bhashan Char’s infrastructure which will now be used as a relocation center for around 100,000 Rohingya.
He urged the OIC delegation to strengthen their efforts in relation to early repatriation of the Rohingya people who are currently taking shelter in Bangladesh.
Referring to his recent visit to the US, the Foreign Minister mentioned his proposal to the Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy on Rohingyas who will focus on the Rohingya issue and coordinate their efforts for their repatriation.
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs briefed the delegation about the current situation of Rohingya people in Bangladesh, and in this connection, reiterated the position of the Bangladesh government i.e. safe, dignified and sustained repatriation of them to their homeland Myanmar as the viable solution to end this humanitarian crisis.
He also called upon the OIC Member States to continue to stress on Myanmar to take back their nationals.
Shahriar Alam expressed his sincere thanks to the OIC Member States who contributed to the ‘OIC Fund for Rohingya’.
He further requested the OIC delegation to encourage the OIC Member countries to contribute to the ‘OIC Fund for Rohingya’ in order to enable Bangladesh and The Gambia to continue with the case in the ICJ and to reach an early and decisive decision. In this regard, he assured the delegation of full cooperation of Bangladesh.
During the calls on, the visiting OIC Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs informed that they have seen the condition of the Rohingyas in the camps, and comprehended the request made by the Government of Bangladesh.
The OIC delegation also had a meeting with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen at his office, and expressed their views regarding their visit to the Rohingya camps.
