DHAKA, July 18, 2019 (BSS) – Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has
requested the US lawmakers to persuade Myanmar in all possible ways to create
a safe and secure environment in Rakhine State and take back all their
forcibly displaced nationals from Bangladesh.
The foreign minister made the call while holding series of meetings with
the US lawmakers in Washington DC on Wednesday, according to a press release
of Bangladesh Embassy in the USA received here today.
During the meetings, all the US lawmakers commended Bangladesh’s generosity
in hosting a huge number of Rohingyas and said that they would continue their
efforts in this regard, said the release.
Momen thankfully acknowledged the strong US humanitarian and political
support to Bangladesh in dealing with the Rohingya crisis created by Myanmar.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in
Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there since August 25, 2017
after a military crackdown by Myanmar, termed ‘Textbook example of ethnic
cleansing” by the UN.
Momen met Senator James E. Risch (Republican – Idaho), Chairman, Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Bob Menendez (Democrat – New
Jersey), Ranking Member of the same Committee.
He also met Congressman Eliot Engel (Democrat- New York), Chairman, House
Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Brad Sherman (Democrat – California),
Chairman, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, of the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Congresswoman Grace Meng (Democrat –
New York).
In these meetings, Momen also apprised them of the impressive socio-
economic development that has taken place in Bangladesh under the dynamic and
visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which was appreciated
by them.
Momen and the lawmakers underscored the importance of further expanding
trade and investment relations between Bangladesh and the USA, and deepening
the excellent partnership in the days to come.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Mohammad Ziauddin was also present in the
meetings.
The foreign minister is currently visiting Washington, D.C. on an
invitation from the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to participate in the
Second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom being held in the US
Department of State from 16 to 18 July 2019.
In the evening, Momen attended a reception in the US Department of State
hosted by Secretary Pompeo in honor of the participants of the Second
Ministerial.