Japan offers to mediate Rohingya crisis: Foreign minister

Japan has proposed to play a role as mediator in Tokyo taking Bangladesh and Myanmar onboard to find a peaceful solution to Rohingya crisis ensuring their safe return to their place of origin in Rakhine State, reports news agency UNB.

Bangladesh will consider the proposal as it is looking for the resumption of Rohingya repatriation.

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said this to newsmen after a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono at State guesthouse Meghna in the capital on Tuesday evening.

The Japanese minister, who visited Rohingya camp, will leave for Yangon on Wednesday to talk to Myanmar leadership over the Rohingya issue.

Momen said his Japanese counterpart will convey Bangladesh's message to Myanmar authorities apart from sharing his own observations.

Bangladesh conveyed to Japan that Japanese investment both in Bangladesh and Myanmar will be affected if the Rohingya crisis remains unresolved for long as he fears pockets of radicalism.

The two sides stressed the need for necessary steps to be taken by the Myanmar government to create an environment conducive to the return of the Rohingyas under UN cooperation.

Taro Kono, arrived Dhaka on Monday night, also visited Rohingya camps on Tuesday to see the situation on the ground and had a brief dialogue with Rohingya representatives in a transit camp to understand their perspective as a whole.

At the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral issues with a greater focus on Rohingya crisis and strengthening further the ties with Bangladesh on all fronts.

The two countries discussed ways to further develop the bilateral relationship through various initiatives at various levels toward the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022.

Bangladesh has already expressed its support for Japan's aspiration to become a permanent member of the UNSC and for Japan's candidature for the UNSC non-permanent membership election in 2022.

Taro Kono also visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the city to pay tributes to father of the nation Bagabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The foreign minister hosted dinner in hour of the Japan foreign minister.

Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe showed his deep respect for the government of Bangladesh for generously accepting and protecting the Rohingyas on humanitarian ground and the two countries share the importance of stability in Cox's Bazar from the perspective of enhancing connectivity and securing regional stability, another official said.

On 29 May, prime minister Abe held a 50-minute meeting with Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina in Japan, and discussed ways to find a "durable and early solution" to the Rohingya crisis.

Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas and most of them entered the country since 25 August 2017.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation deal on 23 November 2017.

On 16 January 2018 Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a document on "Physical Arrangement", which was supposed to facilitate the return of Rohingyas to their homeland.

The "Physical Arrangement" stipulates that the repatriation will be completed preferably within two years from the start of repatriation.

The first batch of Rohingyas was scheduled to return on 15 November last year but it was halted amid unwillingness of Rohingyas to return for the lack of a congenial environment in Rakhine.