Singapore to remain engaged for durable Rohingya solution

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DHAKA, Feb 3, 2020 (BSS) – The Singapore government has assured Bangladesh that it would remain engaged on Rohingya issue and continue its efforts to find out a durable solution of the crisis.

The assurance was made while Singapore non-Resident High Commissioner to Bangladesh Derek Loh Eu-Tse called on Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen at foreign ministry here today.

During the meeting, Momen sought a pro-active role from Singapore for commencing repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingyas soon to their land of origin in Rakhine state of Myanmar.

The foreign minister urged the Singapore to facilitate negotiation process in ASEAN platform to convince Myanmar to create a conducive environment for ensuring a safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas.

Bangladesh currently extends makeshift refuge over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar while most of them arrived since Myanmar launched a military crackdown on August 25, 2017, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and dubbed as “genocide” by other rights groups.

Apart from Rohingy issue, the foreign minister observed that volume of bilateral trade between the two countries can be enhanced significantly, if Singapore avails the existing investment facilities offered to foreign investors in Bangladesh.

Momen urged the Singapore investors to consider the facilities of Special Economic Zones in different part of Bangladesh to invest.

He also suggested that Singapore government recruit skilled and semi-skilled professionals particularly the nurses and IT professionals from Bangladesh.

The foreign minister also invited Singapore’s Prime Minister and President to visit Bangladesh this year to celebrate the Birth Centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.