Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has urged Asean Regional Forum (ARF) members to strengthen regional cooperation and collectively support efforts to secure a sustainable solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis.
Addressing the 33rd Asean Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Manila, Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh’s steadfast commitment to dialogue, multilateralism and a rules-based international order amid growing geopolitical and regional security challenges, said a foreign ministry press release on Thursday.
Highlighting Bangladesh’s humanitarian burden, the foreign minister said the country has been hosting more than 1.3 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar for nearly a decade.
He warned that the prolonged crisis has exposed Bangladesh to an array of transborder crimes, including drug trafficking, human trafficking and illicit flows of arms and weapons, posing wider regional security concerns.
“Rohingyas are not stateless people by circumstance; they are stateless by design. It is a political failure, and demands a political solution,” Rahman said.
He called upon ARF participants to collectively support efforts to create conditions in Myanmar conducive to safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine State.
The foreign minister said the international community is confronting unprecedented geopolitical challenges and stressed that sustained dialogue and diplomacy remain the most effective means of addressing emerging global and regional security concerns.
He urged all states to exercise maximum restraint in dealing with maritime disputes, uphold international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and resolve differences through peaceful dialogue.
Addressing climate-related security challenges, Rahman said Bangladesh, as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, remains committed to advancing regional cooperation in disaster preparedness and early warning systems.
In its capacity as Co-Chair of the ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief, Bangladesh would continue advocating stronger regional resilience under the ARF framework, he said.
Rahman also highlighted both the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, calling for closer regional cooperation to counter cybersecurity threats, disinformation and misuse of advanced technologies.
He proposed exploring a regional technology governance framework tailored to the region’s unique geopolitical and developmental realities.
The foreign minister also expressed appreciation for the support extended by participating countries to Bangladesh’s candidature for the presidency of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Reaffirming Bangladesh’s commitment to stronger regional cooperation based on mutual respect and shared prosperity, Rahman said: “Bangladesh will always choose dialogue over division, partnership over polarization.”
