Myanmar is ‘committed’ to take back the Rohingya refugees from Cox’s Bazar under the 2017 agreement signed between Naypyidaw and Dhaka.

Myanmar international affairs minister Kyaw Tin conveyed this recently to Bangladesh foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen in a letter, the foreign ministry said.

Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas. Most of them came after August 25, 2017 crackdown by Myanmar military, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” by other rights groups.

Myanmar signed deals with Bangladesh to take them back. But in the last three years, Myanmar did not take back a single Rohingya while the attempts of repatriation failed twice due to trust deficit among the Rohingyas about their safety and security in the Rakhine state.

On January 19, a virtual secretary level tripartite meeting among Bangladesh, China and Myanmar was held to discuss commencing repatriation of Rohingyas.

After the meeting, Bangladesh foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen said Dhaka is ‘cautiously optimistic’ to start much-demanded Rohingya repatriation from the 2nd quarter of this year.

Kyaw Tin also said that Myanmar is sincere in peaceful coexistence and resolving bilateral issues with its neighboring countries, including Bangladesh, through mutual partnership.

He mentioned that Myanmar had taken back Rohingyas in 1978 and 1992 through mutual discussion with Bangladesh.

The Myanmar minister thanked Dr Momen for his letter written to him on January 1.

He echoed with Dr Momen that collaboration and cooperation are needed among the nation in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

The foreign ministry said Dr Momen and Kyaw Tin have good relations since both of them had served their respective countries as the permanent representative in the United Nations.