Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Monday international organisations and UN agencies should work inside Myanmar for the return of Rohingyas to their homeland, reports UNB.
She also said Myanmar should start the repatriation process to take its nationals back from Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister said this when outgoing French Ambassador Marie-Annick BOURDIN met her at her official residence Ganobhaban.
PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
He said the Prime Minister again expressed her firm stance that Myanmar has to take back its over 1 million nationals from Bangladesh.
She also said Bangladesh continues talks with Myanmar to this end.
"Some 40,000 Rohingya babies were born in Bangladesh. How long will Bangladesh bear this huge burden of over 1 million Rohingyas?" she said.
Sheikh Hasina also said the Rohingya population has already outnumbered the local Bangladeshis in Cox's Bazar. "The sooner they go back to their homeland the better for all," she said.
The French Ambassador highly praised the Prime Minister for giving shelter to Rohingyas and protecting them.
"France will continue its support to Bangladesh that it started right from beginning of the problem," she said.
Marie-Annick BOURDIN also mentioned that the situation in Myanmar is not conducive right now for the return of Rohingyas to their homeland.
About the climate change, Sheikh Hasina put emphasis on implementation of the Paris Agreement, saying Bangladesh is the worst sufferer although carbon emission is lowest here.
Many districts in the southern and coastal region will be affected by the adverse impacts of climate change, she added.
Bangladesh formed a climate resilient fund with its own resources to combat adverse impacts of the climate change, the Prime Minister said, adding that it is also developing a green belt in the coastal region.
Talking about the issue, the French Ambassador mentioned that Paris will continue to play its role in this regard.
The Prime Minister mentioned that the government has set up a climate change resilient trust fund with Tk 10 billion to combat climate change.
She recalled that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman first took the initiative to construct multipurpose cyclone shelters.
Sheikh Hasina congratulated the outgoing ambassador for completing her successful tenure in Bangladesh and appreciated her commendable efforts and hard work to further strengthen and broaden bilateral relations between the two countries.
The ambassador mentioned that the people and officials of Bangladesh are very warm and friendly.
PM's Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman was present on the occasion.
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