FIVE foreign ministers from top Asian and European countries including a few high-ups of the European Union have started arriving in Dhaka since yesterday for discussing the Rohingya crisis with government officials. It has apparently become clear that our foreign office has finally woken up to realise that – not bilateral the approach should have been a multi-lateral one to force Myanmar to take back the Rohingya refugees. Since the very beginning of the crisis the government was clearly on a wrong position. Moreover, the politicians as well as bureaucrats were also confused in tackling the growing crisis.
Following last Thursday’s passing of the draft resolution at the UN, we expect the government now to move forward while effectively involve the ministers and EU high-ups to force Myanmar not only to take back the Rohingyas but accordingly repatriate them in line with the 16 points those have been detailed in the draft resolution.
In the recent history the arrival of so many foreign ministers and senior bureaucrats of two important alliances in Bangladesh is taking place for the first time. Most importantly the Chinese foreign minister is also one of them. As expected, our foreign minister would be busy accompanying them to some of the refugee camps in Cox’ Bazaar but just apart from travelling and holding discussions – it’s crucial for the government to make the best out of their visits, meaning speed-up the repatriation process. Their visits would surely garner further international support for the Rohingyas.
However, the global support has understandably built-up but focus should now be how to translate that support into taking actions. That said – after the visit, the foreign ministers of Bangladesh and Germany are expected to travel together to Myanmar to attend the 13th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the ASEM, the Asia-European political dialogue forum to enhance relations and various forms of cooperation between its partners. Besides Germany, we want all our European friends to address the crisis on behalf of Bangladesh. Last but not least, given the outcome of Thursday’s passing of the draft resolution, the government should now come to understand — who are our indisputable international friends and who are not. By now, it has lived in the fool’s paradise for too long.
