Rohingya crisis tops my agenda at UN: Khalil

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman has said that Rohingya crisis and the broader issue of refugees and displaced people of the world would be among his priorities as President of the UN General Assembly.

“Refugees, displaced people, these are part of my priorities. I said that during my election. So I will definitely have a strong eye on this,” he said on Sunday night before leaving Dhaka for New York to take up his responsibilities as president of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Dr Khalilur has also pledged to serve as a bridge-builder among member states, engage all sides, and work to find common ground amid widening divisions.

He said he would uphold the UN Charter and ensure geographical and gender balance within the Office of the President of the General Assembly while remaining attentive to the needs of smaller delegations.

Bangladesh is also expected to use the high-profile presidency to advance issues of national and regional importance, particularly the protracted Rohingya crisis.

“There will be a high-level side event and I will present my statement there as President of the General Assembly,” he added reiterating that Bangladesh’s longstanding position that repatriation is the only sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis.

“There is only one solution to this problem - repatriation,” 
he said. 

Rohingya issue would receive special attention during the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week beginning September 22.

Dr Khalilur noted that the position has now gained broad international recognition and that even the Myanmar government has acknowledged the issue, although Bangladesh disagrees with some of the figures provided by Myanmar.

“Not everything in diplomacy is done publicly. Most of it is done behind the scenes. And when there is a success or failure, you see it face to face,” he said.

Foreign Minister once again reiterated that the "Makkah Pact" is an internal matter of the world Muslim family and that there is no reason for anyone to be upset or worried about this.

“This is not a matter of threatening. This is not a matter of attacking anyone. This is a matter of self-defense of our world Muslim family. So I do not see any reason for anyone to be upset or worried about this,” he said.

Asked about possible challenges in discharging the two responsibilities, Dr Khalilur said diplomats deal with realities rather than hypothetical situations.
“Look, we are diplomats. We do not work on ‘ifs’. We work on reality,” he told private television channel "Independent TV" in an interview before leaving Dhaka for New York.

The foreign minister left Dhaka shortly after 8:20pm on an official visit to New York, US, in connection with his UNGA presidency from August 31 to October 21 and is scheduled to transit through Dubai.

The 81st session of the General Assembly will formally open on September 8, with world leaders expected to gather at UN Headquarters in New York later in the month for the annual high-level general debate.