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Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has urged Sweden to increase its assistance to improve the living conditions of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, stressing that their safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar remains the only viable solution to the protracted crisis.
“Their safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar is the only solution to the crisis,” he said.
The minister made the remarks when Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Nicolas Linus Ragnar Weeks paid a courtesy call on him at his office at the Ministry of Home Affairs at Bangladesh Secretariat, according to a ministry press release.
Ahmed described the Rohingya crisis as a major threat to regional security and said Sweden could play an important role in keeping the issue high on the international agenda, particularly as it co-chairs the Rohingya Donor Group.
He urged the Swedish government to step up support for improving the living conditions of the displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh.
Sweden stresses safe repatriation
The Swedish ambassador also stressed the need for the safe repatriation and rehabilitation of the Rohingyas and expressed his country’s interest in supporting education and the overall security of Rohingya women and children.
The two sides discussed a range of issues of mutual interest, including regional security, prevention of irregular migration, trade expansion, technical education and assistance, and efforts towards a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis.
Focus on skilled manpower
Describing Sweden as an important development partner, Ahmed said the government was placing greater emphasis on modernising technical education to produce skilled and globally competitive workers.
He said the government was undertaking plans and projects to establish new technical education institutions in different parts of the country.
The minister noted that demand for skilled workers, including caregivers, is growing in Sweden and other European markets.
He sought Swedish cooperation to improve the quality of technical education and training in Bangladesh and facilitate opportunities for Bangladeshi skilled workers in overseas labour markets.
Trade and investment ties grow
Ambassador Weeks said Bangladesh was the only country in South Asia with which Sweden has a “Bilateral Cooperation Strategy”.
He said trade relations between the two countries were gradually expanding and Swedish investment was increasing in promising sectors, including ready-made garments and healthcare.
Around 10,000 Bangladeshis currently live in Sweden, a large number of them students, the ambassador said.
The ambassador expressed concern over irregular migration to Sweden, saying innocent people were increasingly falling victim to human trafficking networks.
Ahmed said the Ministry of Home Affairs was taking strict and effective measures to prevent human trafficking.
He said aspirations for better lives, combined with the lure of traffickers, were among the main drivers of irregular migration.
To address the problem, the government was conducting multifaceted initiatives, including nationwide awareness campaigns in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), he said.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and representatives of the Swedish Embassy in Bangladesh attended the meeting.