DHAKA, Jan 13, (Asia Free Press): Bangladesh has urged Vietnam to use their friendly influence on Myanmar to take their forcefully displaced citizens Rohingyas back on an immediate basis, according to local media reports.
The urge was made during a telephonic conversation between Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and his Vietnamese counterpart Bùi Thanh Son on Wednesday afternoon, reported BSS.
During the conversation, Momen called upon Vietnam and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to play a more proactive role in bringing a sustainable solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis by helping in a speedy, safe and dignified repatriation of the forcibly refugees back to their motherland Myanmar.
The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh voiced concerns about the growing vulnerability of the displaced Myanmar citizens in Bangladesh to radicalism, extremism, trans-border crimes, human trafficking, drug smuggling etc, which have serious security implications for the entire region.
Dr Momen, while appraising Vietnam on the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, hoped that the two countries would celebrate the 50th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year with high enthusiasm.
Lauding the growing trend of bilateral trade between Bangladesh and
Vietnam, he urged Hanoi to further increase their imports from here in order to reduce the trade gap.
Highlighting the growing people-to-people contacts, Dr. Momen noted with satisfaction that a large number of Bangladeshi tourists are now visiting Vietnam and encouraged more Vietnamese tourists to visit Bangladesh, which is endowed with excellent tourism attractions including important locations of ancient Buddhist heritage and civilizations.
While appreciating the role of Bangladesh in sheltering the displaced
Rohingya people, the Vietnamese Foreign Minister assured Dr. Momen of their sincere efforts within the ASEAN framework for an early solution to the crisis.
He also suggested activating the Joint Trade Commission (JTC) and other trade mechanisms for further enhancing the trade and commerce between the two countries.
Lastly, both the leaders agreed to work in close collaboration in the regional and multilateral forums by extending mutual support in different fields.
