State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has urged the European Parliament to remain vocal with the Rohingya issue through its various monitoring mechanisms and tools towards facilitating the safe, dignified and voluntary return of the forcibly displaced people to Myanmar.
He came up with the call at a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels of Belgium on Thursday, BSS reported quoting a message received on Friday.
On the second day of his visit to Brussels, Shahriar held a meeting with Maria Arena, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Group of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and Chair of the Parliament’s Human Rights Committee.
During the meeting, he exchanged views with MEP Arena about the human rights situation of the Rohingya in Myanmar.
The state minister thanked the MEP for issuing a statement in the wake of the recent provisional order issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the lawsuit filed by The Gambia against Myanmar.
“Every society and country needs to find its own equilibrium through enacting and implementing legislation pursuant to its international human rights obligations,” he said.
Shahriar explained to the MEP that the objective and purpose of the Digital Security Act in Bangladesh in the backdrop of security threats experienced by many other countries in a comparable situation.
He said the law was aimed at preventing and prosecuting criminal acts in cyber sphere that could have destabilising consequences for the society in general.
The state minister said there was no scope for undue harassment or restriction against media personnel under the law.
He briefed the MEP about the key developments in the RMG industry in Bangladesh following the Rana Plaza tragedy.
In view of the MEP’s particular interest in the business and human rights agenda, Shahriar called upon the European policymakers to engage with buyers and consumers to ensure fair prices for apparel sourced from Bangladesh for incentivising the ongoing reform initiatives in the industry.
He gave a brief account of the measures taken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government to strengthen democracy and human rights in the country.
MEP Arena stressed the importance of following up on the European Union’s recommendations for further electoral reforms.
Earlier in the day, Shahriar held a bilateral meeting with Maximilian Krah MEP from the Identity and Democracy Group and Rapporteur for South Asia in the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee (INTA).
They discussed the issues raised at the multi-stakeholder event, on February 5, to take stock of the progress made in Bangladesh’s RMG industry and the future potential for EU-Bangladesh apparel trade.
MEP Krah assured of his support to sustain the momentum of positive narratives emanating from Bangladesh in reversal of the previously projected image of the country in the international context.
Shahriar also met some apparel industry actors in Brussels.
He exchanged views with representatives from the Bangladesh community in Brussels, and took note of their various suggestions concerning consular and other services.
The state minister invited members of Bangladesh community across political divide to join forces to observe the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman abroad in a befitting manner.
