Visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo has laid emphasis on finding a peaceful and quick solution to the Rohingya crisis against the backdrop of cordial bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
He made the call during official talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in Dhaka on Sunday.
Briefing the reporters, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque said Widodo extended special appreciation to the Hasina administration for sheltering over one million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar.
He said Bangladesh wanted political support in the international arena on the Rohingya issue and assured that Indonesia would continue its role to this end as Jakarta earlier had taken a stance in favour of the Rohingyas at the UN and its Human Rights Council.
Regarding the visit of the Indonesian president, he said: “This will create pressure on the Myanmar government.”
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The foreign secretary said the two sides recognized that there is huge potential for trade and investment as well as strengthening cooperation on other important sectors.
In this regard, he mentioned that both sides agreed to launch talks on the issue of preferential trade agreement to take forward business activities and explained that once the agreement is signed, Indonesia would offer special concession to Bangladeshi commodities to be exported there.
Such a move will help reduce the existing trade gap between Bangladesh and Indonesia, he said.
The foreign secretary said the prime minister urged the Indonesian side to make investment in Bangladesh’s Special Economic Zones.
Shahidul said a Joint Communiqué on Cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and to promote sustainable fisheries governance has been signed to strengthen cooperation in these areas.
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Following its signing, the cooperation in the field of fisheries could be advanced further, he said. He said Widodo assured Hasina of extending Indonesia’s support for Bangladesh’s willingness to be sectoral dialogue partner of Asean. And a letter of intent between Petrobangla and Partamina on sales and purchase of LNG under G2G has also been signed to discuss whether LNG could be procured from Indonesia. The officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be able to sit together on annual basis to discuss various issues of bilateral and international concern.
