Turkish Red Crescent chief lauds Bangladesh for hosting, aiding Rohingya people

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam discussed Bangladesh-Turkiye bilateral issues with Turkish Red Crescent President Fatma Meriç Yılmaz during a meeting on Monday.

Recalling the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Bangladesh during 4-6 June and his meetings with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Bangladesh during the visit, the State Minister emphasised potential stronger cooperation in different areas in the regional and international organisations.

She highlighted that Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar since 2017, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry claimed in an official Facebook post on Monday.

Describing it as a huge challenge for Bangladesh, she called for facilitating the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustained repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar at the earliest, and sought the sincere support from the international community including Turkiye in this regard.

Lauding Bangladesh’s extraordinary generosity for hosting the large number of Rohingyas from Myanmar and continued humanitarian supports over the years by Bangladesh, the President of Turkish Red Crescent highlighted the Turkish humanitarian activities towards the Rohingyas in food support, education, primary and emergency medical care, sanitation, and training on skill development.

The State Minister for Foreign Affairs expressed deep appreciation to the visiting Turkish Red Crescent delegation and the significant humanitarian assistance by Turkiye for Rohingyas.