Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen believes that Russian government can influence Myanmar to settle Rohingya crisis.
“Russian government has a lot of influence on Myanmar,” he said, “If they can put more pressure on Myanmar, hopefully they (Myanmar) will take back their displaced people (Rohingyas) from Bangladesh”.
Momen was talking to reporters after speaking at the celebration of the 5th Asian Conference of the Soviet Russian Graduates arranged by the Soviet Alumni Association in Bangladesh on Monday in Dhaka.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there since August 25, 2017 after a military crackdown, which is called as “ethnic cleansing” by the UN and “genocide” by other rights groups.
Following international pressure, Myanmar signed deals with Bangladesh to take them back. But so far, in the last two years, not a single Rohingya was repatriated as Myanmar failed to build trust among them.
The foreign minister accused Myanmar of delaying the process.
The Russia as a powerful member of the UN Security Council keeps close contact with China which is one of the key allies of Myanmar.
Bangladesh had a long history of friendship with the former Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics.
They extended their whole-hearted support to Bangladesh during the 1971 War of Liberation and post-independence rebuilding.
The foreign minister said the potential of the bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding “lost in the political tumult” that ensued in Bangladesh after the brutal killing of the Father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.
In line with the policy set by Bangabandhu, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid an official visit to Russia, at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, in January 2013.
“As a long-standing friend and trusted partner, we need the Russian Federation to ensure energy security and economic development in Bangladesh,” the foreign minister told the alumni. “Soviet alumni here in Bangladesh can play a constructive role in translating and realising our friendship with Russia into tangible ventures.”
He said Bangladesh-Russia relation will reach “fruition and maturity to benefit the people of both our nations as soon as we have ensured multifarious engagements in diverse sectors”.
