Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (Jul 14) urged her visiting South Korean counterpart Lee Nak-yon to engage with Myanmar for an early peaceful solution to the Rohingya crisis saying it posed a threat to regional stability and peace, local media reported.
“The displacement of Rohingyas from Myanmar to Bangladesh has posed risks to peace and stability of our region,” Bangladesh premier’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim quoted her as saying during the talks with Lee Nak-yon.
Sheikh Hasina said Dhaka expected Korea to “engage with Myanmar for an early peaceful solution to the crisis” and insisted that sustained international pressure and engagement were needed to substantiate Bangladesh efforts.
Karim said the South Korean premier in reply said “Anything we can do we’ll do”.
The two premiers led their respective sides in the 40-minute meeting at the PM’s Office when issued of trade, commerce, investment, technical cooperation and the Rohingyas were discussed, local media reported.
Sheikh Hasina said Myanmar until now failed to create conducive environment in Rakhine barring the expected return of the Rohingyas.
“If the displaced Rohingyas are assured of safety, dignity and access to their land and property, they will be encouraged to go back to Myanmar,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina, however, expressed her gratitude to South Korea for supporting adoption of a resolution on the situation of Human Rights in Myanmar at the UN General Assembly in November 2018.
“We also appreciate Korea’s humanitarian aid for the Rohingyas,” she said as her Korean counterpart highly praised Bangladesh for hosing a huge number of Rohingyas.
