In Geneva, Bangladesh says it stabilised region by opening border for Rohingyas

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said Bangladesh has “stabilised” the entire region by opening the border to save lives of persecuted Rohingya people.

“The international community has a shared responsibility to help restore the Rohingyas’ fundamental rights and freedoms, including their right to return to Myanmar in safety and dignity,” he said at an OIC meeting in Geneva on Thursday.

He is in Geneva to attend the launch of the UN Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis for 2019.

Briefing the OIC ambassadors and delegates about the evolving situation with the crisis, Shahriar sought OIC member states’ support for creating a conducive situation in Myanmar for the Rohingyas’ safe and dignified return.

The foreign ministry said he suggested creation of a civilian “safe zone” for the Rohingya returnees in Myanmar, to be monitored by the human rights and humanitarian outfits.

He shared information on the government’s plans to relocate a portion of the Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar to the Bhashan Char island in consultation with all stakeholders.

The OIC ambassadors and delegates from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, State of Palestine and the Maldives reaffirmed their solidarity with the forcibly displaced Rohingya and commended Bangladesh for its generosity in hosting them.

They reiterated their commitment to help find a peaceful and lasting solution to the crisis through sustained engagement in the relevant human rights and humanitarian fora in Geneva.

Bangladesh has given shelter to over 700,000 Rohingyas who fled ethnic cleansing since Aug 2017 from the Rakhine State.