UN, Jakarta’s support sought for Rohingya repatriation 

The government has sought support from the United Nations and Indonesia for the smooth repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh. 

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir has called on the United Nations to step up efforts to ensure the early and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to their ancestral homes in Myanmar, saying their return remains the only viable solution to the crisis.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Carol Flore-Smereczniak, UN Resident Coordinator ad interim, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a press release.

Kobir appreciated the UN's humanitarian support for the Rohingya crisis and called for sustained efforts to facilitate their repatriation.

He also called for stronger coordination among UN agencies and closer alignment of their programmes with Bangladesh's Five-Year Strategic Framework for Reform and Development (2026-2031).

In response to a query, the state minister briefed Flore-Smereczniak on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's key engagements during the recently concluded High-Level Week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, including his meeting with the UN secretary-general.

Kobir also appreciated Flore-Smereczniak's leadership of the UN Country Team in advancing Bangladesh's development priorities.

Flore-Smereczniak praised the government's continued support and reaffirmed the UN's readiness to deepen its partnership with Bangladesh.

She said the UN Country Team remains committed to working closely with the government to address shared challenges. 

Meanwhile, the visiting Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Anis Matta expressed Indonesia’s interest in upgrading the existing bilateral relations with Bangladesh to a long-term strategic partnership. 

To this end, he proposed undertaking priority joint projects over the next five to ten years in order to achieve the goal of a strategic partnership between the two countries during a bilateral meeting with the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Humaiun Kobir at his office on Tuesday.

Reaffirming the longstanding and growing cooperation between Bangladesh and Indonesia, both sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations including trade and investment, energy cooperation, health cooperation, disaster management, education and training, consular cooperation, as well as issues of mutual interest at the regional and multilateral level. 

State Minister Kobir thanked the government of Indonesia for its continued support to Bangladesh at regional and international fora on issues of mutual interest. In this regard, he sought Indonesia’s continued support for Bangladesh’s application for Sectoral Dialogue Partnership of ASEAN, membership of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland in Myanmar. The Vice Minister Matta assured of Indonesia’s continued support in these matters.

State Minister Humaiun Kobir put forward five specific proposals in order to deepen the existing excellent relations between Bangladesh and Indonesia. These included restoration of visa-on arrival for Bangladeshi nationals in Indonesia, request to import more pharmaceutical products from Bangladesh to meet the growing demand in Indonesia, procurement of jute bags from Bangladesh through G2G arrangement to support the eco-friendly packaging of coffee, beans and other products of Indonesia, opening of Indonesian market for Bangladeshi potatoes and initiating an institutional cooperation in the field of disaster management.  

In this regard, he handed over a draft Memorandum of Understanding on Disaster Management to the Vice Minister of Indonesia. Highlighting Indonesia’s position as the world’s largest halal food consumer market, State Minister Kobir stressed the need to further strengthen halal cooperation between the two countries. Above all, State Minister Kobir urged to elevate the relations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. 

Thanking State Minister Kobir for the invitation to visit Bangladesh and for the warm hospitality extended to him, Vice Minister Anis Matta welcomed Bangladesh’s proposals and expressed. 

He also encouraged both sides to explore the possibility of establishing direct flight between Dhaka and Jakarta to further enhance people-to-people connectivity. State Minister Kobir appreciated Vice Minister Matta’s forward-looking vision for further strengthening the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Indonesia.