New Delhi:
Bangladesh on Thursday said that Myanmar has pushed one million Rohingyas onto its soil and it will make efforts to resolve the issue peacefully despite “provocations”.
While participating in the India Economic Summit (IES), Bangladesh foreign secretary Shahidul Haque said “Recently Myanmar has pushed one million Rohingyas, their own nationals, onto our soil. We are still struggling. We haven’t got into a fight with them despite provocations.”
“We are trying to resolve it peacefully.... The Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) thinks that it is something we will solve in a peaceful manner,” Haque added.
Following ethnic violence in Myanmar, Bangladesh is facing a big influx of Rohingyas from the Buddhist-majority nation. Last month, India had rushed relief material to Bangladesh pledging all help to Dhaka in tackling the humanitarian crisis.
The issue of ‘One Belt-One Road’ was raised by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor at the IES. China will have to do more if it wants India to join the proposed project, he said.
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“If the Chinese really feel that for the overall credibility and viability of the Belt and Road Initiative they want India to play an active part, they have to do more of a selling job. They have to come and market to us here on why this is actually in our interest,” the former Union minister said.
India skipped the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) in May this year due to its sovereignty concerns over the CPEC, a flagship project of China’s prestigious Silk Road initiative, officially called One Belt One Road (OBOR).
Differences emerged between the two countries over the USD 50-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passing through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) which is part of the China’s mega Belt and Road initiative.
The India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF) is being attended by over 500 business and political leaders.
(With PTI inputs)
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