‘Rohingya crisis could pose threat to regional security’

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has stated that if a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis is not achieved soon, it could become a serious threat to regional security.

He made these remarks on Thursday during a high-level discussion at the United Nations Security Council titled “Impact of Poverty, Development Deficit and Conflict on International Peace and Security.”

The Foreign Affairs Adviser said that for more than eight years, Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas out of humanitarian responsibility.

However, due to prolonged stagnation, the crisis is no longer just a humanitarian issue; it has now become an economic, environmental and increasingly, a security concern.

He made an earnest appeal to the international community to take immediate and effective steps to ensure safe and dignified repatriation of these displaced people to their home country, Myanmar, where they had fled from brutal persecution.

Referring to the pride of youth, the adviser mentioned that young people have always been at the forefront of change in Bangladesh’s history.

He also called for greater coordination among the UN Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the recently established Peacebuilding Commission to ensure that peacebuilding initiatives are realistic and aligned with inclusive development.

Apart from Bangladesh, the meeting was attended by foreign ministers of Sweden, Uruguay and East Timor, as well as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Germany and other high-level representatives from various countries.