Bangladesh has urged the British government and parliament to continue to press for dignified repatriation of the forcibly displaced people of Myanmar to their homeland soon.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen reiterated the call to British parliamentary delegates at a meeting on Sunday before the delegation left Dhaka for Kutupalong and Bhashan Char.
The British delegation exchanged views on further enhancing trade and investment between the two countries in the post-BREXIT context.
They reiterated their appreciation for the multi-dimensional contributions being made by the British-Bangladesh diaspora in their respective constituencies as well as in the land of their origin or ancestors.
Minister Momen hoped that there would be exchange of high level political visits between the two countries on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
He recalled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s various engagements during her visit to the Glasgow and London in November 2021 and thanked the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for undertaking the ‘Brit-Bangla Bandhan’ initiative.
The delegation included, among others, Gibraltar Minister for Business Vijay Shamdas Daryanani, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council CEO Samantha Helen Cohen and Zi Foundation founder Zillur Hussain.
From Bangladesh part, Foreign Affairs parliamentary committee chairperson Muhammad Faruk Khan and Member of Parliament Shamima Begum were present in the meeting.
The UK delegation thanked the Bangladesh Foreign Minister for accompanying them during their visits to the greater Sylhet region over the last weekend.
During the visit, UK Conservative Party MPs Thomas Patrick Hunt and Paul Bristow interacted with the Rohingya leaders in Kutupalong and visited various facilities in the two camps.
They reaffirmed their solidarity with the Rohingya and assured them of remaining seized with their legitimate demands for citizenship, security and freedom of movement in Myanmar.
The UK MPs noted that the British people, especially the British Muslims, felt strongly about the Rohingya situation, and that the international community had a responsibility to stand by this large group of people generously supported by the government and people of Bangladesh.
MP Bristow recalled the UK’s humanitarian assistance to the tune of 320 million GBP since 2017 and said that they would continue to raise the issue of further improving the living conditions of the Rohingya while they awaited their repatriation.
