Bangladesh seeks support from Russia on Rohingya refugee crisis

Bangladesh has sought support from Russia to resolve the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis at the border with Myanmar. Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali asked for cooperation on the issue during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York on Wednesday. A Bangladesh Foreign Ministry official confirmed the matter to the Bangla Tribune on Thursday. The ministry official said: “Dhaka has requested that Russia lend its support for reaching a sustainable solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis.” According to the official, the Russian foreign minister said in response to the request: “We are aware of the issue, and we will keep in touch regarding the matter.” The Russian foreign ministry had termed the Rohingya issue as an internal matter of the Myanmar government in an earlier statement. Commenting on the matter, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova had said: “We must consider that foreign intervention on an internal matter of a sovereign country could threaten communal harmony there.” More than 422,000 Rohingya refugees have entered Bangladesh since a brutal military campaign was launched against them in Rakhine state of Myanmar, after insurgent attacks on security officials in the region on August 25. Humanitarian organisations estimate that thousands of refugees will continue to pour into Bangladesh unless a sustainable solution to the conflict is reached, allowing the persecuted Rohingya community to safely return to their home country.This article was first published on Bangla Tribune