European nations want to send back irregular Bangladeshis residing in those countries.
They are pursuing Dhaka to sign readmission agreement under which the destination country can send back Bangladeshis to their own country without the authorisation of Bangladesh.
The issue was discussed at informal level at the Budapest Process: 7th Silk Routes Working Group Meeting held in Dhaka from November 9 and 10.
Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry hosted the Budapest Process meeting.
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) Senior Regional Adviser Sedaf Dearing told the Dhaka Tribune that one European Commission representative brought up the repatriation issue.
She along with about 40 participants from over 20 countries took part in the meeting.
Dearing said the EU representative discussed about irregular Bangladeshis in Europe saying that there are many irregular Bangladeshis in Europe.
The European countries argued that they regularised Bangladeshis in the past but it actually invited more Bangladeshis to make it to the continent through illegal means, she said.
“There are many who need to be returned and many European countries are seeking confirmation from Bangladesh to say to allow those who need to be returned,” she said.
Asked what the government response was about sending back Bangladeshis, she said: “The Bangladesh government wants this irregular migrants to be regularised, to be given some sorts of regular status and I understand that this is also not possible.”
Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Khandkar Iftekhar Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that the issue was not discussed in the formal meeting.
“We have no concern over what was discussed informally,” he said.
The Cabinet Division and Foreign Ministry confirmed that Bangladesh is not an observer at the process.
Another senior government official said Budapest Process preaches readmission agreement in disguise to send back irregular migrants to their own countries.
A conference of ministers was held in the context of the Budapest Process in Prague in 1997 recommended: “Noting that the Budapest Group, in its follow-up of the previous conference of ministers, has identified the following seven areas as being major significance in terms of harmonising and reinforcing relevant policies and measures.”
One of the seven areas is ‘return to the country of origin and readmission agreements’.
The Budapest Process is a consultative forum of more than 50 governments and 10 international organisations exchanging information and best practices on a wide range of migration issues.
It is one of the longest standing cooperation framework on migration for Europe and its eastern neighbours.