Bangladesh has remained steadfast in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s path of peace and continued its engagements with Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis in a peaceful manner, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam has said, Dhaka Tribune writes.
“We hope to see the problem to be resolved permanently with the sustainable return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar as expressed by our prime minister [Sheikh Hasina] at the UN General Assembly,” he said on Sunday.
He said Bangladesh enjoys the best of its relations with its largest neighbour India, and it is the policy of friendly and good neighbourly relations with neighbours that guided Bangladesh through difficult times with its neighbour Myanmar.
Shahriar mentioned that Rohingya influx from Myanmar into Bangladesh has created a humanitarian crisis and soured the relations in recent times.
He was addressing a webinar titled “Bangabandhu and Bangladesh: Leadership and Foreign Policy” organized by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).
BIISS Chairman Ambassador Fazlul Karim and its Director General Major General Emdad Ul Bari, among others, spoke at the webinar.
Shahriar said Bangabandhu clearly understood that in a realist world that was marred by conflicts, wars, and rivalries; it would be important for a country like Bangladesh not only to keep equidistance but uphold multilateralism, particularly through the UN system.
“Hence, this remained Bangladesh’s diplomatic strength where Bangladesh engages as an active voice in various normative and policymaking initiatives. Bangladesh has maintained its success in promoting international peace and security through peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities, under the pragmatic and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” he said.
In the coming days, the state minister said, Bangladesh will continue to follow Bangabandhu’s footsteps in its peace-centric and sustainable development focused approach in the international forum. “Bangabandhu believed in the collective power of Bengali nation and humanity.”