Dhaka will highlight the Rohingya issue at the Foreign Secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and Myanmar scheduled to be held on June 14 in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. Aside from this longstanding issue, all others bilateral issues including trade and commerce, connectivity and import of gas and electricity from Myanmar will be discussed at the seventh Foreign Secretary-level meeting, said government officials.
“The entire range of issues will be discussed”, said Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, who will lead the Bangladesh side to the meet.
“It is known to everybody that the Rohingya issue is the most contentious one with our neighbour. So, understandably Bangladesh will emphasise on the repatriation of the registered Rohingya refugees as well as taking back the large number of undocumented Myanmar nationals of Rohingya origin,” said a senior official while talking to The Independent.
“We will also stress on the proposed visit of the Myanmar President to Bangladesh,” he added.
According to the officials, during the sixth Foreign Secretary-level meeting in Dhaka, last year, the Myanmar side had assured to take-back Rohingyas subject to verification of their citizenship, but there has not been any visible progress in this regard.
The Rohingyas have been creating manifold short and long term social, economic and environmental problems for Bangladesh. There are about 30,000 registered Rohingya refugees living in two camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Besides, it is reported that as high as 5,00,000 undocumented Myanmar nationals are illegally living in different parts of the country. The Bangladesh side will tell Myanmar that in order to take the bilateral issues between the two countries ahead in the right direction, there has to be a solution to the longstanding issue.
Myanmar President’s visit to Bangladesh is long overdue. Dhaka hopes that the visit will take place soon to take the bilateral relations to a new height.
The meeting will also discuss the issues relating to smuggling along the border, especially drugs, bilateral trade, regional cooperation and connectivity, trade expansion and resumption of direct flights between the two countries.
Following the reform initiatives in Myanmar, many countries in the world including developed ones are engaging with that country in terms of trade and investment. Despite being a neighbour, Bangladesh is lagging behind in this regard. This is why Bangladesh will try to engage with Myanmar, utilising the existing mechanisms between the two countries, in the Foreign Secretary-level meeting.
-With The Independent input
