President seeks Singapore support for Rohingya repatriation

Dhaka, Feb 23 (UNB) - President Abdul Hamid on Friday sought support and cooperation from Singapore over the issue of repatriation of forcefully displaced Rohingyas of Myanmar who took shelter in Bangladesh.

President Hamid said this when Singapore President Halimah Yacob phoned him around 10:00am (local time) on Friday, according to message received here from Singapore.

During the conversation, the president of Singapore exchanged greeting with her Bangladesh counterpart and congratulated him for being elected as President for a second consecutive term, reports the UNB.

She also queried about President Hamid’s health condition and treatment, said Md Joynal Abedin, Press Secretary to the President.

On Thursday, President Hamid reached Singapore on a six-day tour for medical check-up and eye treatment and has been staying at Marina Mandarin Hotel there.

Mentioning that Bangladesh put importance on heightening of bilateral relations with Singapore, the President sought support from Singapore over Rohingya repatriation.

President Hamid also congratulated Halimah Yacob for being elected as the first female President of Singapore and hoped that the bilateral relations between the two countries will be more enhanced in future.

Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming visit to Singapore on March 11, the Bangladesh President said her visit will take the relations of two countries in a new height.