Japan to help in Rohingya repatriation  

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Sunday assured they will support the return of displaced Myanmar nationals back to their homeland.

Taro Kono, now on an official visit to Bangladesh, had a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali.

Mahmood Ali expressed his gratitude to Japan for their support in adoption of Statement (PRST) by the President of the United Nations Security Council on November 6, which condemned widespread violence in Rakhine state and displacement of over 6,20,000 people, human rights violation and abuse.

Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali said that Bangladesh and Myanmar are in the process of negotiation for a bilateral agreement for repatriation of displaced people and expecting to form a Joint Working Group to facilitate the repatriation.

He further said that as a short term measure, Japan will extend humanitarian assistance of $15 million for the displaced people affected by the destabilization of the situation in Rakhine state.

During the meeting, major issues of bilateral and regional interests were discussed. Reports UNB.

Japanese Foreign Minister expressed gratitude to the Government of Bangladesh for the security measures undertaken for the implementation of mega projects of Japanese Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), according to Foreign Ministry here.

Taro Kono said that 600 billion JPY (Japanese Yen) that was committed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during Prime Minister Sheik Hasina's visit to Japan in May, 2014 to finance mega projects in Bangladesh are being implemented.

Later, Japanese Foreign Minister and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali went together to Cox's Bazar to visit the camps of the displaced people.

State Minister Md. Shahriar Alam, Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque accompanied them.

Japanese Foreign Minister was keen to see for himself the humanitarian crisis situation that displaced people are going through in Bangladesh-Myanmar border area.