PM Urges Permanent Solution to Rohingya Crisis, Safe Repatriation

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who is in New York on a four-day official visit to attend the high-level general debate of the 81st UN General Assembly, had a busy first day of diplomatic engagements on Tuesday.

He attended 10 of his 12 scheduled programmes, including a breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, bilateral meetings with world leaders, discussions on the Rohingya crisis and a reception hosted by US President Donald Trump.

Among those he met were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, UN Special Envoy for Myanmar Julie Bishop, European Council President António Costa and senior UN officials.

At a press briefing at Bangladesh’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, Prime Minister’s Adviser and Office Spokesperson Mr. Mahdi Amin described the first day’s activities as a “360-degree diplomatic and economic strategy”.

The day began with a breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres at 8am local time. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, attended the meeting along with world leaders and their spouses.

The prime minister then attended the opening plenary session of the high-level general debate of the 81st UN General Assembly.

He later met Bhutanese Prime Minister Mr. Tshering Tobgay at the UN headquarters. They discussed strengthening bilateral relations, regional cooperation and people-to-people contacts, with particular focus on tourism, education and healthcare.

At a sideline meeting with Maldivian Vice-President Mr. Hussain Mohamed Latheef, they discussed matters of mutual interest among SAARC countries, regional stability and expanding cooperation.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also held talks with Haitian Prime Minister Mr. Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. They discussed Bangladesh’s experience in UN peacekeeping and how it could contribute to addressing Haiti’s law-and-order challenges. The Haitian side praised Bangladesh’s peacekeeping role.

One of the key engagements was the prime minister’s meeting with Turkish President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Turkish House near the UN headquarters.

The two leaders discussed strengthening Bangladesh-Türkiye relations and expanding cooperation in the economy, trade, defence and investment. They also stressed continued coordination on regional and international issues. President Erdogan invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit Türkiye at a convenient time.

The prime minister strongly raised the issue of more than one million Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh during separate meetings with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN secretary-general’s special envoy on Myanmar.

At the UNHCR meeting, he called for stronger international efforts to ensure the safe return of Rohingyas to Myanmar with full rights, security and dignity. Bangladesh also reiterated its commitment to creating a conducive environment for repatriation through bilateral and multilateral initiatives.

The prime minister also met World Bank Group President Mr. Ajay Banga to discuss Bangladesh’s development priorities, including education, healthcare, employment, investment, trade, deregulation, economic liberalisation and budgetary support.

They also discussed strengthening World Bank financial and technical assistance for Bangladesh’s development projects.

Due to time constraints, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman could not personally attend two scheduled programmes with the European Council and Meta. A high-level delegation designated by him, however, met Meta representatives to discuss digital platform safety, cybersecurity, technology and digitalisation, as well as strengthening the digital economy.

The first day ended with a reception hosted by US President Mr. Donald Trump and First Lady Ms. Melania Trump for heads of state and government. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Dr Zubaida Rahman attended the event at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel.

At the press briefing, Mr. Mahdi Amin said the prime minister’s engagements continued from 8am until 8pm. He said the government’s objective was to enhance Bangladesh’s dignity and image on the global stage and prioritise national interests in international diplomacy.

The briefing was also attended by Foreign Affairs State Minister Mr. Humayun Kabir, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Mr. Saleh Shibli, Additional Press Secretary Mr. Atikur Rahman Rumon and Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ms. Irene Khan, among others.

On September 23, the prime minister’s programmes were scheduled to focus on humanitarian issues, climate action and international cooperation. He was due to meet representatives of international philanthropic and humanitarian organisations and attend a high-level side event on the Rohingya crisis.

He was also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Mr. Andrej Plenković and address a high-level meeting on “Climate Action and the Just Transition”.

The main highlight of the visit will be his address to the UN General Assembly on September 24. He is scheduled to speak at around 5:30pm New York time as the 11th of 18 speakers in the afternoon session, with 15 minutes allocated for his address.

He was also scheduled to hold meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Thai Prime Minister Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul and UN Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres.

After his UN address, he was scheduled to attend a dinner hosted in his honour by Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN.

Before leaving New York on September 25, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was scheduled to attend a JPMorgan-hosted breakfast meeting with Wall Street representatives and hold talks with Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

He is scheduled to leave New York for Dhaka at 11pm on September 25 on an Emirates flight via Dubai.