Finland to keep pressure on Myanmar for Rohingy repatriation

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 DHAKA, April 12, 2018 (BSS) – Visiting under secretary of state of Finland Anne Sipilainen today said her country along with the European Union (EU) would keep a sustained pressure on Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation as she called on foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali.

“The Finnish Under Secretary of State assured that Finland along with the European Union will continue to keep pressure on Myanmar for the sustainable return of Rohingya people to their homeland in Myanmar,” a foreign ministry statement said after the meeting this morning.

It said Sipilainen praised the host community in Cox’s Bazar for their support to the distressed Rohingyas and thanked Bangladesh’s government and people for extending hands for the distressed people as they fled their home in Myanmar’s Rakhine state to evade atrocities.

According to the statement the senior Finish official’s comments came as Ali sought continued pressure of Finland, EU and international community on Myanmar for safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya people.

Ali also appreciated Finland’s support through EU for resolving the Rohingya crisis.

The UN counted some 700,000 Rohingyas to have taken refuge in Bangladesh since Myanmar army launched a crackdown on their ethnic minority community on August 25 last year.

UN described the atrocities on Rohingyas as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while rights groups called it genocide.

The statement said during the meeting Ali and Sipilainen agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and multilateral for a between Bangladesh and Finland.

The Finnish under secretary of state thanked the Bangladesh for its outstanding contribution in the UN particularly in the area of peacekeeping, peace-building and climate change.

“She expressed her interest to collaborate with Bangladesh in combating climate change as both the countries are vulnerable to the phenomenon,” it said.

Ali invited more Finnish investment to get benefit from investment friendly policy, strategic location of Bangladesh and the country’s graduation from the LDC to the developing country.