Bangladesh urges OIC to help resolve Rohingya crisis

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to play more active role in resolving the long-standing Rohingya crisis.

The appeal came during a meeting held on Tuesday at the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Division office in the Bangladesh Secretariat, where ambassadors and high commissioners of OIC member countries stationed in Dhaka paid a courtesy call on him, according to Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Jahidul Islam Rony.

During the meeting, the envoys congratulated the Prime Minister on assuming office and reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to supporting Bangladesh in various sectors, including trade, investment, education, healthcare, textiles and the pharmaceutical industry.

Diplomatic sources said the participating countries also expressed willingness to further deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Bangladesh under the OIC framework.

In response, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman thanked the envoys on behalf of the government and people of Bangladesh, appreciating their continued support and engagement.

He also recalled the historical ties between Bangladesh and OIC member states during the leadership of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, noting that those relations laid the foundation for current diplomatic partnerships. The Prime Minister expressed optimism that these relationships would be further strengthened in the coming years.

Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Palestine, Algeria, Brunei, Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates attended the meeting, along with heads of mission from Iran, Iraq and Libya.

Senior officials, including Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, Foreign Secretary M Forhadul Islam and Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman, were also present at the meeting.

The meeting underscored Bangladesh’s continued diplomatic push to mobilise international support for a durable solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis.