Momen: Resettlement of few Rohingyas in US not a solution

Dhaka Tribune

UNB
December 8, 2022 

File photo: Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen briefs reporters on the recent Bangladesh visit of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, at a press conference in Dhaka on August 7, 2022 Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said resettlement of a few Rohingyas in the US is “not a viable solution”, rather the solution is repatriation to their homeland in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

While talking to reporters, Momen said the United States is taking a few Rohingyas as a follow up to his discussion with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh is requesting big countries to take at least 100,000 Rohingyas each, to share Bangladesh's burden.

US Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Julieta Valls Noyes, on Tuesday met Foreign Minister Momen and discussed a “comprehensive approach” to the protracted Rohingya crisis with international support.

Momen said Bangladesh government wants a better life for the Rohingyas.

Asked about relocation of some Rohingyas in the United States, Momen said it is “just a drop in the ocean”, as Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas.

He said the US did not mention any exact number but he hinted the number could be 62 only in the beginning.

“The United States is proud to be able to support resettlement in our country of the very vulnerable Rohingya. This is a priority of President Biden. We are discussing with other governments and with other partners. We will be working together with the international community,” US Assistant Secretary Noyes said, thanking Momen for Bangladesh's life-saving support for the Rohingyas.

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