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Speaking to a group of journalists on Thursday afternoon, he said without naming any country: “There are some countries that are feeding Myanmar, which have been completely silent on the deportation.
“If there is any criticism, I will criticize those who continue to provide military and political assistance to Myanmar.”
Commenting on the fact that the United States has been working on the issue since the beginning of the Rohingya crisis, he said that “Bangladesh has a reasonable expectation that other countries also have some role and responsibility to address this burden.”
Within months of the start of the military operation in Rakhine on 25 August 2016, more than seven lakhs of Rohingya arrived in Bangladesh and took refuge. There were already four more lakhs of Rohingya in Bangladesh.
Despite international pressure, the Myanmar government signed an agreement with Bangladesh in late 2016 to win back the Rohingya, but repatriation has yet to begin.
Despite two repatriation attempts last year, the Rohingya refused to return, citing environmental concerns in Rakhine state.
Against this backdrop, Undersecretary of State Bigan visited Bangladesh on Wednesday as the highest-ranking US administration official during the term of President Donald Trump. Naturally, his visit restored America’s role in addressing the Rohingya crisis.
In a courtesy call on Thursday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested the cooperation of the international community, including the United States, to repatriate the Rohingya to Myanmar as soon as possible.
Hours earlier, after a meeting with Chancellor AK Abdul Momen at the Padma state boarding house, Bigan called on the international community to be proactive in a joint press conference.
“I would like to emphasize the need for all countries, regionally and globally, to work hand in hand with the Rohingya,” he said. This is not just the responsibility of the government of Bangladesh, it is a global priority.
“All countries in the Indo-Pacific region should be equally frank so that Myanmar can be proactive in resolving the crisis.”
Secretary of State AK Abdul Momen and US Under Secretary of State Steven Beagan at a joint press conference at the State Guest House Padma in Dhaka on Thursday. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Avi
US Undersecretary of State Steven Beagan arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon for a three-day visit. He had a meeting with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, at a hotel in Dhaka in the evening. There was talk of a free trade agreement (FTA) as part of the recovery of the economy after the epidemic.
After visiting the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi on Thursday morning, Bigan met with Foreign Minister Momen. He then paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
After attending a ceremony to hand out ventilators and gas analyzers at Kurmitola General Hospital in the afternoon, he spoke with a select group of journalists about his visit to Dhaka.
The United States proposes to participate in the Indo-Pacific strategy
Bigan told reporters in the evening that Bangladesh’s involvement in the US Indo-Pacific strategy was discussed during his visit to Dhaka.
“Of course, you can see that the United States is increasingly interested in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said. IPS has discussed with Bangladesh. There is a great opportunity to cooperate with each other.
“Priorities need to be set before moving forward in this regard, which will be of great benefit to Bangladesh. It will also benefit its neighbors and the United States.”
“It’s not just a safety issue,” Beagan said. It has an economic and democratic relationship with that. In a democratic environment, the countries of the region can advance through mutual cooperation ”.
Speaking about the challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region, Bigan said the situation of the Sino-Indian conflict, as well as the challenges surrounding Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Tibet.
“There are many challenges in the region at the moment, which are worrying many countries in the region, including the United States,” he said.
Stating that no country has been attacked, the US Under Secretary of State said: “Bangladesh has an opportunity to play an important role in IPS. This visit may be the latest manifestation of the importance the United States attaches to its relations with Bangladesh. “
When asked about his interest in Bangladesh, Bigan said: “America’s positive place of interest is the economic development and political stability of Bangladesh. Economic growth, a large market, has created a place of attraction for institutions. Americans. It’s out of geopolitics. “
Commenting on the US interest in Bangladesh, he said: “The United States has supported Bangladesh as a development partner for the past 50 years.” Before Bangladesh, there were some internal crises like disasters.
“And today we see Bangladesh growing economically for a long time. Political stability for a long time. These have opened the door to a deeper relationship.”
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