Bangladesh to continue pro-active foreign policy towards Myanmar

DHAKA, Feb. 3 (NsNewsWire) — “The newly elected government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will continue with its pro-active foreign policy towards strengthening every facet of its relations with immediate neighbor Myanmar for reaching higher trajectories of bilateral as well asregional trade, economy and connectivity”, said Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam, MP, StateMinister for Foreign Affairs during a call on him by visiting US Senior Advisor on‘Burma’ (Myanmar) Ms. Judith Cefkin, at the former’s office this morning. The StateMinister thanked the US government for its continued engagement with Bangladesh onthe question of Bangladesh-Myanmar relations and its humanitarian support for the longpending caseload of nearly 30,000 Myanmarese Muslim refugees in Bangladesh awaitingrepatriation back to Myanmar. “The US thanks Bangladesh for its generous refuge provided to the Myanmarrefugees and other undocumented Muslim population from Myanmar over the decades, and appreciates Bangladesh socio-economic constraints and challenges indealing with this protracted humanitarian situation,” said the US Senior Adviser Ms.Judith Cefkin, who made a brief stop-over in Dhaka on her way to Myanmar. Expressing satisfaction over the recent dynamics of the Bangladesh-Myanmar bilateralrelations including operationalization of direct air connectivity and coastal shippingservices between the two neighbours the State Minister for Foreign Affairs reaffirmed thenewly elected government’s continued commitment to pursue dialogue with Myanmar atall levels in order to resolve the outstanding issue of early repatriation of refugees andundocumented people from Myanmar bilaterally, as has been done in the case of themaritime boundary delimitation. In this context, the State Minister reiteratedBangladesh’s interest in contributing to the socio-economic development of Myanmar’sRakhaine State bordering Bangladesh in order to help create an enabling environment andlivelihoods for the voluntary return of the Myanmar refugees and other undocumentedpeople living in Bangladesh.The US Senior Advisor reaffirmed that the US Government will continue to attach highpriority to addressing the situation of the Myanmar Muslims in Rakhaine State andelsewhere and would continue to urge the Myanmar authorities to actively support inter-faith dialogue in order to promote reconciliation between the Buddhist and Muslimcommunities in the Rakhine State. She said Bangladesh could play a critical role alongwith other regional countries in sharing best practices and experiences with Myanmar inthis regard. Earlier in the morning, the US Senior Advisor also held official talks withForeign Secretary Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque and discussed the entire range of areas whereBangladesh and the US could work together in order to unlock the protracted situation ofMyanmar refugees and other undocumented people in Bangladesh through engagementsat bilateral, regional and international levels. The Foreign Secretary briefed the US Advisor about the humanitarian response being undertaken by the present government inthe context of the recently approved strategy of the Government on refugees andundocumented Myanmar nationals in Bangladesh. The Foreign Office Director Generalsof the UN, South East Asia and Americas Divisions were present during the meeetings. Foreign Ministry Press Release