Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held a courtesy meeting with Yohei Sasakawa, Japan’s Special Envoy for National Reconciliation in Myanmar and chairman of the Nippon Foundation.

The meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday (September 7).

Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Swadhin said Sasakawa told the meeting that he had been working for nearly 50 years to promote peace and reduce inequality in different regions of the world. He also briefed the prime minister on his role as Japan’s special envoy for national reconciliation in Myanmar.

Referring to the Rohingya crisis as a major burden on Bangladesh, the Japanese special envoy said he was aware of the situation. He also highlighted various grants and humanitarian assistance provided by the Japanese government to support the Rohingya.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman thanked Sasakawa for visiting Bangladesh and praised his long-standing humanitarian work.

The prime minister said the Rohingya crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing Bangladesh. He thanked the Japanese government for standing by Bangladesh in addressing the crisis.

Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh is already a densely populated country, and hosting a large number of Rohingya for an extended period has placed additional pressure on the country’s economy, infrastructure and overall management systems.

The prime minister urged Japan’s special envoy to play a role, from his position, in ensuring the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya to their homeland. He said Bangladesh is also prepared to provide necessary support for the rehabilitation of the Rohingya in Myanmar after their repatriation.

The special envoy said he had discussed the Rohingya crisis with the president of Myanmar. He said he believed the Myanmar government was sincere about resolving the crisis. However, he noted that the complex situation in Rakhine State was causing delays in progress toward Rohingya repatriation.

The prime minister said Bangladesh is willing to provide all kinds of cooperation for the repatriation of the Rohingya to their homeland. He said returning to their own country would create opportunities for the Rohingya to improve their living standards, including access to education and healthcare.

The special envoy assured the prime minister that he would make his utmost efforts, from his position, to help resolve the Rohingya crisis.

The meeting also discussed the need to strengthen multilateral initiatives and international cooperation for a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis, rather than relying solely on bilateral efforts.

The prime minister urged the special envoy to cooperate in establishing a vaccine production centre in Bangladesh. Sasakawa said he would work on the matter with sincerity.

The prime minister also said Bangladesh is interested in attracting Japanese investment and that the government is working to ensure an investment-friendly environment in the country. He also expressed Bangladesh’s interest in further improving bilateral relations with Myanmar.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs-1 Humayun Kabir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs-2 Shama Obaed and Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Shakirul Islam Khan were present at the meeting.