Rohingyas make Cox’s Bazar 'more vulnerable', says foreign minister

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said the presence of Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar has made the district 'more vulnerable'.

He urged the global community, especially the South Asian countries, to do more to ensure their quick return to Myanmar.

“You all know that we have given shelter to 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar in our land in Cox’s Bazar. It is in an extremely vulnerable location. Their presence makes it more vulnerable,” he said.

The minister was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 15th Meeting of the Governing Council of the South Asia Co-Operative Environment Programme (SACEP) on Wednesday in Dhaka.

SACEP is an inter-governmental organisation, established in 1982 by the governments of South Asia to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment in the region. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the member countries.

The foreign minister, highlighting the Rohingya crisis, said it is an issue “solely between Myanmar and its own people -- the Rohingyas”.

“They themselves have to resolve it. A voluntary return of the Rohingyas to their homes in Rakhine state in safety, security and dignity is the only solution to the crisis,” he said.

Momen also underscored Bangladesh’s 'well evidenced' and 'well documented' susceptibility to the impacts of climate change.

“Despite being a developing country, we spend over 1 percent of our GDP on combating climate change,” he said.

“We are pursuing a low carbon development path with an increasing emphasis on renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation.”