File photo
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh and Malaysia will work together to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis, including by engaging Myanmar through Asean mechanisms, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday.
The initiative will be pursued through the foreign ministers of the two countries, he said after talks with visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
“Through our common effort, we will work to resolve the predicament of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and also here. We will engage through Asean mechanisms with the Myanmar authorities to resolve part of the issue,” The Star quoted Anwar as saying at a joint press conference.
Tarique, who took office in February, chose Malaysia for his first official visit. He arrived at KLIA 1 on Sunday with his spouse, Zubaida Rahman, on a two-day visit.
Anwar recalled that Malaysia was among the first countries to recognise Bangladesh and also among the first to congratulate Tarique after the recent elections.
On global issues, Anwar said both countries stood together on Palestine and condemned the atrocities in Gaza.
“On the crimes and atrocities inflicted in Gaza by the Zionist Israel regime, and all the support for lasting peace in the Gulf and Iran, we are together,” he said.
Anwar also spoke of his long association with Tarique’s family, saying he first met them as a youth leader and later as deputy prime minister. He praised Tarique for enduring hardship and remaining committed to his ideals.
“He endured hardships and struggled to remain consistent in his ideals, in defending freedom and progress for the people of his country whom he deeply loved,” Anwar said.
Calling Tarique part of an “enlarged family”, Anwar added: “We consider you part of the enlarged family… I look forward to strengthening this bond and brotherly relations between us.”