Al Muraikhi and Bangladesh minister discuss Rohingya issue

State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Shahriar Alam met with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Qatar H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Session of the OIC council of Foreign Ministers on the situation of the Rohingya Muslims on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur.
During the meeting, the two ministers discussed the situation of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and means of boosting and developing them in addition to issues of mutual interest, said a statement issued by the Bangladesh embassy.
In his speech at the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, Bangladesh State Minister expressed deep concern on recurrence of instability in the Rakhine State resulting in Rakhine Muslims being displaced and uprooted from their ancestral homeland and compelled to take shelter in Bangladesh.
Referring to the recent influx of Rakhine Muslims into Bangladesh for shelter, he demanded Myanmar to bring back normalcy into the Rakhine state immediately and take steps for rehabilitation and reconstruction.
He stressed on the need for ensuring basic rights of the Rakhine Muslims for a durable solution of the problem with particular emphasis on restoring their citizenship through necessary review of the existing exclusionary citizenship law.
The State Minister also demanded urgent measures from Myanmar for a sustainable repatriation of refugees and all documented and undocumented Myanmar nationals temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh and beyond to their centuries-old homeland - Rakhine State with safety, security and ensured livelihood. He urged the OIC to continue working for a durable solution to the problem.
Member states also appreciated Bangladesh’s generosity and efforts in hosting hundreds of thousands Rohingya Muslims for decades and called for early repatriation to their homeland in Rakhine State.