Foreign Ministers of Asian and European countries have agreed on the broad points of the Rohingya issue, and asked for the immediate cessation of hostilities, halting the outflow of Rohingya from Rakhine State, and early return of the displaced population from Bangladesh.

They also asked for implementation of recommendations of the Kofi Annan Commission for a durable solution to the crisis, reports the UNB.

On Monday morning, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali attended an informal briefing on the state of Rakhine issue and discussed the issue.

Foreign Ministers of Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Estonia, Germany, Malta, Russia, Luxemburg, France, Thailand, Hungary, Finland, Sweden and the High Representative of the EU attended it.

He attended the first day of 13th Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Foreign Ministers. He is leading a four-member Bangladesh delegation.

Foreign Minister attended two plenary sessions, ‘Synergizing Peace and Sustainable Development’ and ‘3rd Decade of ASEM: Making ASEM Partnership more Dynamic and connected.’

In his intervention, Mahmood Ali reaffirmed Bangladesh’s firm commitment to peace and development. He stressed on inclusive development embracing all, particularly minorities, by ensuring rights and equal opportunity for attempting durable peace.

The foreign policy veteran highlighted participants’ shared interests in encouraging peace, security and stability in the region and beyond.

Foreign Minister emphasized that marginalization and denial of basic rights create insecurities, which can lead to forced displacement and destabilize the region. He urged to work together to promote inclusion and tolerance for peace and development.

On the sidelines of the event, Foreign Minister held bilateral meetings with his counterparts of Switzerland, Hungary, Estonia, Finland and United Kingdom. They discussed bilateral matters and exchanged views on Rohingya crisis particularly early return of displaced Rohingyas and imperative of an inclusive and durable solution to the protracted problem.

Bangladesh and Hungary signed an MOU on Educational Cooperation for the years of 2018-20.

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh and Hungary Foreign Minister Peter SZIJJARTTO signed the MOU on behalf of their respective governments. Hungary has offered 100 scholarships every year for studies in the fields of agriculture, economics, natural science and medical and healthcare.

The Hungarian Minister also offered to train Bangladeshis in the field of nuclear energy.