State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Tuesday criticized the bilateral agreement with Myanmar on Rohingya repatriation, stressing that the government of Sheikh Hasina ruined everything right at the start by making a bilateral agreement.
"When the BNP government previously handled the Rohingya repatriation during the tenure of the late president Ziaur Rahman, a tripartite agreement was forged. The United Nations was a very active party to that agreement. Because of that, every OIC nation and multilateral body was involved. It proved effective - something the previous government failed to achieve," she told reporters while responding to a question.
Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a bilateral Rohingya repatriation deal on November 23, 2017, followed by the signing of a physical arrangement on January 16, 2018, aimed at the safe return of displaced refugees.
However, the agreement has faced severe implementation delays and stalled due to ongoing conflict, security issues, and the lack of a safe environment in Rakhine State.
Talking to reporters at the Ministry, Shama Obaed said they want them (Rohingyas) to return to their country safely and under normal, secure conditions.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.3 million Rohingya in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char.
