Prime Minister Tareque Rahman has sought Japan’s cooperation in ensuring the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
Yohei Sasakawa, the Japanese government’s special envoy for national reconciliation in Myanmar and chairman of the Nippon Foundation, paid a courtesy call on the prime minister at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday. The prime minister made the remarks to Sasakawa during the meeting.
At the meeting, Sasakawa said he has spent nearly 50 years working to establish peace and reduce inequality in various regions of the world. He also told the prime minister about his role as the Japanese government’s special envoy on national reconciliation in Myanmar.
Noting that the Rohingya crisis has placed major pressure on Bangladesh, Sasakawa said he is aware of the situation. He also highlighted various grants and humanitarian assistance the Japanese government has provided to support the Rohingya.
Prime Minister Tareque Rahman thanked Sasakawa for visiting Bangladesh and praised him for his long humanitarian work. The prime minister said the Rohingya crisis is one of Bangladesh’s biggest challenges and thanked the Japanese government for standing by Bangladesh in addressing it.
Tareque Rahman said Bangladesh is already a densely populated country, and hosting a large number of Rohingya for an extended period has placed additional strain on the country’s economy, infrastructure and overall management.
The prime minister urged Sasakawa to play a role, from his position, in ensuring the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of Rohingya to their own country. He said that once Rohingya return home, opportunities will open up to improve their standard of living in areas including education and health care. For that reason, he said, Bangladesh is eager to extend all forms of cooperation on repatriation.
Sasakawa said he has discussed the Rohingya crisis with Myanmar’s president.
He said he believes the Myanmar government is sincere about resolving the crisis, but that progress on Rohingya repatriation is being slowed by the current complex situation in Rakhine state.
The Japanese special envoy assured the prime minister that he would continue his utmost efforts, from his position, to help resolve the Rohingya crisis.
The meeting also touched on the need to strengthen multilateral initiatives and international cooperation for a sustainable resolution to the Rohingya crisis, rather than relying solely on bilateral efforts.
The prime minister also called on Sasakawa to help support the establishment of a vaccine production center in Bangladesh. The special envoy said he would work sincerely on the matter.
The prime minister also said Bangladesh is eager to attract Japanese investment, noting that the government is working to ensure an investment-friendly environment in the country. He also highlighted Bangladesh’s interest in further improving bilateral relations with Myanmar.
The meeting was also attended by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs-1 Humayun Kabir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs-2 Shama Obaed, and the prime minister’s special assistant Shakirul Islam Khan.