Continue humanitarian aid to Rohingyas

The visiting US Senior Adviser Judith Cefkin requested the government Monday to continue its humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya refugees in the country.
She also expressed her government's satisfaction over the Bangladesh government's role on the refugee issue following troubles in Rakhaine state of Myanmar.
The US senior adviser on Burma said her government will continue attaching high priority to addressing the situation of the Rakhaine Muslims.
The US will also urge Myanmar to actively support inter-faith dialogue to promote reconciliation between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in the Rakhine State.
She cleared her government's engagement on the Rohingya issue during separate meetings with state minister for foreign affairs Md. Shahriar Alam and foreign secretary Md. Shahidul Haque at their ministry offices during a brief stop-over in Dhaka en route to Myanmar.
Meeting sources said both the meetings discussed the areas where Bangladesh and the US can work together to unlock the protracted situation of Myanmar refugees and other undocumented people in Bangladesh through engagements at bilateral, regional and international levels.
They said Bangladesh side cleared the government's position regarding the Myanmar refugee issue, saying that the country's engagement with the issue was more than the obligation it faces being a sovereign state.
Bangladesh informed the US that the Rohingya problem cannot be lingered for an indefinite period, as it must be resolved by Myanmar herself.
The US was informed that Bangladesh will soon engage with Myanmar on initiating security dialogue after signing of a memorandum of understanding apart from improving bilateral relations on trade and others.
The US senior adviser said Bangladesh can play a vital role along with other regional countries in sharing best practices and experiences with Myanmar in this regard.
"The US thanks Bangladesh for its generous refuge provided to the Rohingya refugees and other undocumented Muslim population from Myanmar over the decades, and appreciates Bangladesh's socio-economic constraints and challenges in dealing with this protracted humanitarian situation," she added.
The state minister on foreign affairs told Judith Cefkin: "The newly-elected government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will continue its pro-active foreign policy towards strengthening every facet of its relations with immediate neighbour Myanmar for reaching higher trajectories of bilateral as well as regional trade, economy and connectivity."
He thanked the US government for its continued engagement with Bangladesh regarding Bangladesh-Myanmar relations and its humanitarian support for the long-pending caseload of nearly 30,000 Myanmarese Muslim refugees in Bangladesh awaiting repatriation.  
The state minister also highlighted the recent dynamics of Bangladesh-Myanmar bilateral relations, including operationalization of direct air connectivity and coastal shipping services between the two neighbours.
In this context, he reiterated Bangladesh's interest in contributing to the socio-economic development of Myanmar's Rakhaine State to help create an enabling environment and livelihoods for voluntary return of the Myanmar refugees and other undocumented people living in Bangladesh.
The foreign secretary briefed the US adviser about the humanitarian response being undertaken by the present government in the context of the government's recently-approved strategy on refugees and undocumented Myanmar nationals in Bangladesh.