National
6 years ago

Foreign minister to visit Myanmar next month

Photo: UNB
Photo: UNB

Published :

Updated :

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali will visit Myanmar next month to attend the 13th ASEM to be held in Myanmar's capital.

The ASEM Foreign Ministerial Meeting will be held in Nay Pyi Taw on November 20-21 where the Rohingya issue will come up for discussion, a diplomatic source said, reports UNB.

The foreign minister is likely to leave for the Myanmar capital city on November 19.

The European Union on Monday said they intend to seize the opportunity at the meeting to engage, in the margins thereof, in a constructive dialogue with the Myanmar government and will also continue to liaise with all Asian partners on the current issues.

The EU also encouraged its partners in Asean and the region to engage in this process.

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an intergovernmental forum for dialogue and cooperation which fosters political dialogue, reinforces economic cooperation, and promotes collaboration in other areas of mutual interest.

Meanwhile, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Kono is likely to arrive here on a two-day visit on November 18.

He will also join ASEM meeting after his less than 24-hour stay in Bangladesh, said the source.

Bangladesh will discuss the issues of mutual interest, including the Rohingya crisis, during the visit.

Besides, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to arrive here on October 23 to attend a joint consultative commission meeting between Bangladesh and India, a senior official said.

She will co-chair the meeting with her Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmood Ali that will review the entire bilateral relations, a senior official said.

On October 5, Bangladesh and India discussed the Rohingya issue in details in New Delhi and shared their respective positions over the issue as Dhaka wants the sustainable return of all the Rohingyas to their homeland.

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and discussed the issue apart from other bilateral ones.

Around 560000 Rohingyas have crossed the border from Myanmar’s Rakhine state to Bangladesh since August 25.

Share this news