UN has no role in current political situation of Bangladesh: MoFA

Diplomatic Correspondent  :
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has stated that there is no need for the United Nations to play any role in the current political situation of Bangladesh.
“No proposal has been made to engage in dialogue with the United Nations or any other friendly nation regarding the upcoming national parliamentary elections,” he made the remarks while talking to the journalists at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
The State Minister said, “There is no need for it. I personally do not consider it relevant. The United Nations intervenes in situations of extensive conflict or war. Such situation existed in Bangladesh a long time ago,”
When asked if there is any pressure from any friendly country regarding dialogue, he said, “I have not attended any such meetings in the past nine years, nor has anyone approached me.”
He further added that no official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received any suggestion outside the current constitutional framework regarding the election time government.
“We don’t know why the political leaders are saying these things. But we did not receive any such proposals from any country or organisation about it, forget about any pressure,” he said.
Regarding the possibility of dialogue with the political parties ahead of election, he stated that he is unaware of such discussions. However, he clarified that any pressure or proposal from any foreign country or international organisation regarding dialogue is baseless.
Regarding international observers for the elections, the State Minister mentioned that the Election Commission is making efforts to ensure a fair election.
However, he stated, “Such efforts are not enough in many occasions. It needs certification. The international observers will come and observe. The Election Commission will issue the necessary instructions when the time comes, and it will be followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Asked about the opposition of the Rohingya repatriation through a pilot project, he stated that he did not see reason to oppose it.
“It is a trial and a small-scale initiative to monitor the situation in Rakhine. If it proves unsuccessful, there is scope to bring them back. In that case, there is no logical reason to be against it.”
He further stated that the Rohingyas are going there voluntarily and it aligns with the UN. “There is no such agreement that the repatriation of the Rohingyas needs the certification of UNCHR. We have informed them about our efforts.”

Regarding the UN Rapporteur’s comment on halting the pilot project, Shahriar Alam said, “The rapporteur is responsible for Myanmar-related issues, and his activities should be confined within Myanmar. However, we invited him to visit Bangladesh to have a better understanding of the situation. He visited Cox’s Bazar as well.”
“The matters the Rapporteur have expressed and the way he has articulated the issue undermine our efforts and it is disrespectful. The matter will be brought to the attention of the United Nations,” he said.
When asked about four Rohingya families being denied food by the UN, the State Minister expressed sorrow and hoped that the UN headquarters would take note of it.
“It is unfortunate that the Rohingyas who were kept in the transit camps have not received food from the UN. Such unfortunate incidents should not occur, and the UN should certainly address them,” he continued.