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Rohingya crisis may harm regional peace

Dhaka to convey the message during PM's 4-day India tour beginning today

Diplomatic Correspondent
Dhaka wants to convey a strong message to Delhi that a prolonged Rohingya crisis could heighten instability and hamper peace and development in the region.
"India is a good friend of both Bangladesh and Myanmar. It has investments in both the countries. But if the Rohingya crisis prolongs, there may be pockets of radicalisation," said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.
"We want to convey this message to India," he said at a press briefing yesterday as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina embarks on a four-day visit to India today.
The PM's tour, the first after her re-election, comes after her visits to China in July and Japan in May. During those visits, Rohingya crisis was one of the main topics of discussion as Bangladesh faces a formidable challenge of sheltering more than 1.1 million Rohingyas.
Of them, 743,000 fled military atrocities in Myanmar's Rakhine State since August 2017. Despite two attempts for repatriation, the Rohingyas refused to return to Myanmar, saying they don't have guarantee of citizenship and safety. The UN too says the conditions in Rakhine are not conducive for their return.
China, which wants a bilateral solution, is now mediatingbetween Bangladesh and Myanmar. A trilateral meeting between Bangladesh, Myanmar and China was also held in New York under China's mediation on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week.
Asked if India, which also wants a bilateral solution, has also been engaged in putting pressure on Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation, Momen said Bangladesh would urge India to play a strong role in this regard.
On October 3-4, Hasina will co-chair the Indian Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum in Delhi.
The summit will host more than 800 leaders from 40 countries, including senior public figures and leading representatives from various sectors. Hasina is expected to highlight there the achievements of Bangladesh over the last decade and the challenges it faces now.
On October 5, Hasina will hold a meeting with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
'Ihe two leaders will discuss issues including cooperation in stopping deaths of Bangladeshis on Indo-Bangla borders and smuggling, easing Indian visa regime for Bangladeshis, enhancing cooperation in curbing terrorism and maintaining peace in the region and promoting trade and connectivity.
The two countries may also sign a standard operating procedure on the use of Chattogram and Mongla ports for transporting Indian goods through Bangladesh.
'We will talk about a joint initiative for the best utilisation of the Ganges treaty. Besides, we will discuss a framework agreement on the Teesta and seven other common rivers," Momen said.
The Teesta water-sharing agreement could not be signed between India and Bangladesh in 2011 due to objections from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Though the two countries have 54 common rivers, only one river - the Ganges -- is covered by a lone water-sharing treaty.
Other issues of discussion will be enhancing cooperation on reginal and sub-regional groupings in South and Southeast Asia, and air, rail, and road transport
The two sides will also discuss the celebration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary next year, and the 50th anniversary of both Bangladesh's independence and Indo-Bangla diplomatic relations.
Ten to 12 memorandums of understanding may be signed on
sports, shipping, economy, marine research, fixing standard of products, trade, education, information and communication technology and establishing economic zones.
Hasina will make a courtesy call on Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Momen said the relations between India and Bangladesh are much stronger now than any time in the past because of Hasina's strong leadership.
"We expect that the PM's visit to India will further enhance the bilateral relations," he said.
Asked if the issue of Assam's National Register of Citizenship (NRC), which excluded 1.9 million people, will be raised, Momen said the Indian PM and Foreign Minister Jaishankar already conveyed to Dhaka that it is entirely an internal issue of India, and Bangladesh need not worry about it.
"We have trust in what the Indian authorities told us. Yet, we will raise the issue," he said.
Hasina, who will lead a team of advisers, ministers and officials, will leave Dhaka at 8:00am today and return on October 6.