The US government will stand strong on resolving the Rohingya crisis and also hold the perpetrators in Myanmar accountable for committing the crimes of atrocities against Rohingya people, US vice-president Mike Pence reiterated on Thursday. In his address at the second ministerial meeting on advancing religious freedom, hosted by the US Department of State, he expressed concern over the violation of the very basic rights of the Rohingyas in Myanmar, a press release of the Bangladesh foreign ministry said yesterday (Friday).
Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen thanked the US government and the international community for extending support to host 1.1 million Rohingyas in Bangladesh. Bangladesh, being a land of humanity, has shown generosity at the cost of its own, and he called on the international community to increase the pressure on Myanmar to take back these people.
Momen said this while attending the second ministerial meeting where delegates from 106 countries with about 40 foreign ministers attended the meeting at the invitation of Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state. In his opening speech, Pompeo reinforced the point that ensuring religious freedom for all remains the top foreign policy priority of the US. He thanked all the governments for their participation and called for collective efforts to ensure the freedom of thought and
freedom of conscience and religion, as reflected in the US Constitution. In his keynote address, Pompeo expressed happiness with the progress that has been achieved since the last ministerial meeting in 2018 and also expressed concern over the violation of this very basic right of the Rohingyas in Myanmar.
Foreign minister Momen, in his speech, highlighted the commitment of the government to ensure the basic rights of its people.
He elaborated how the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina maintained a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to any form of violence and discrimination, under any pretext, against religious minorities, and successfully prevented rise of extremism in Bangladesh.
Apart from non-communalism and peaceful coexistence, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also promotes a national slogan ‘Religion unto individual, festivals unto all’, to promote religious tolerance and create a sense of accommodation among religious sects.
Dr Momen observed that at times, certain media outlets are disseminating hatred and violence against selected religious groups. He called on the media to play a constructive and responsible role in promoting religious freedom, thereby supporting peace and stability. He reiterated that violence and wars emanate from a mindset of hatred and ignorance. Therefore, in order to have sustainable peace and stability across nations, he called for the creation of a mindset of tolerance, a mindset of respect for others, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, colour and background.
He added that to create such a mindset, everyone—including religious, social, community, academia, and media leaders—must work together in collaboration and partnership. He proposed to host a similar ministerial meeting at the regional level in Bangladesh soon.
On the sidelines of this conference, in addition to the foreign minister of Hungary, minister Momen met the foreign ministers of Iraq, Bahrain and Malta. He discussed with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, about the need to enhance the mutual bilateral relations through extended cooperation.
Foreign minister Momen offered to share expertise in agriculture and water resources. He requested investments to harness maritime resources in the Bay of Bengal.
He also asked Szijjártó to take skilled and semi-skilled workforces from Bangladesh. Dr Momen thanked him for the 100 scholarships being offered by the Hungarian government. He invited his counterpart to visit Bangladesh with a business delegation. The Hungarian minister assured him that he would soon look forward to undertaking a visit to Bangladesh.