PHNOM PENH: The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, A.K. Abdul Momen, has called on Cambodia to use its ASEAN Chairmanship to increase its role in helping find a sustainable solution to the repatriation of Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, to Myanmar.

In a telephone conversation with Cambodian Foreign Minister, Prak Sokhonn, on Monday, Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen congratulated Cambodia on its role as 2022 ASEAN chair and further congratulated Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn on his appointment as Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar.

During the meeting, the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister raised the issue of refugees from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, who are currently seeking asylum in Bangladesh. He called on Cambodia, as the chair of ASEAN, to play a more active role in bringing about a sustainable solution to help repatriate these refugees back home quickly, safely and with dignity.

In response, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said that Cambodia, as Chair, will continue to support the expansion of ASEAN's role through the ASEAN Secretary-General and the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Center) to coordinate humanitarian assistance and a safe repatriation process.

Minister Prak Sokhonn also pledged to work closely with all stakeholders and development partners through the ASEAN mechanism to ensure a safe and dignified repatriation process, as well as sustainable development within Rakhine State in accordance with the bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Rohingya people have suffered decades of violence, discrimination and persecution in Myanmar. Their largest eviction began in August 2017 after massive violence erupted in Myanmar's Rakhine state, forcing more than 700,000 people, half of them children, to seek asylum in Bangladesh.

In the same year, Bangladesh signed a plan to repatriate bilateral refugees with Myanmar, but was delayed due to Myanmar's reluctance. The repatriation of refugees was halted after the February 2021 coup and political crisis in Myanmar.

Nearly 890,000 Rohingya are currently living in the Kutupalong and Nayapara refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar area, which has become the largest and most populous camp in the world.