Dhaka sees messages from Myanmar's FM, AA chief positively

Amid Bangladesh's continued engagement, Myanmar's Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Than Swe and Chairman of the United League of Arakan Twan Mrat Naing have congratulated recently appointed Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman which is seen positively by Dhaka.

The head of the Arakan Army has sent a congratulatory letter to the Bangladesh foreign minister for the first time.

A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB that the messages from Myanmar and Arakan Army authorities are an extraordinary event and have come in the wake of continued engagement.

"They reflect their confidence in the new Bangladesh government in promoting a peaceful resolution of the Rohingya issue through continued contacts and dialogue," said the official.

The Myanmar Foreign Minister expressed firm commitment to enhancing bilateral relations and strengthening cooperation between Dhaka and Naypyidaw and Dhaka.

The two separate messages are viewed as indications of readiness of both the Myanmar government, and the Arakan Army and ULA (AA) to work with the newly-formed Bangladesh government to find a resolution to the Rohingya crisis.

"In your new capacity as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, I hope you will continue to work with us to find practical, sustainable and realistic solutions. Building on our existing goodwill, we now have an opportunity to chart a new course of friendship between Bangladesh and Arakan," the source quoted the ULA Chairman Naing as saying in his letter to FM Rahman.

The Bangladesh government has been in contact with both the Myanmar government and the Arakan Army to find a solution to the Rohingya crisis.

Referring to engaging with the Arakan Army, the then National Security Adviser and High Representative Dr Rahman on May 6 last year said Bangladesh, as a sovereign state, would maintain communication with whomever it wants taking its own interest into consideration.

"We will speak to whoever we want for our own interests. It doesn't matter who said what," he said while responding to a question about the Myanmar military government's opinion on Bangladesh's contact with the Arakan Army.

"One thing must be kept in mind. The Arakan Army controls the other side of the Bangladesh border. Bangladesh has to manage, protect, and keep this border peaceful," Rahman said at that time, stressing that they will keep in touch with whoever is on the other side.

In August 2017, over 750,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh following violent military crackdowns in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

They joined previous influxes of Rohingya who fled the country in the 1970s and 90s.

Today, more than 1.3 million Rohingyas live in Bangladesh, most of them in Cox's Bazar district, near the border with Myanmar.

The strain on the local host community and its already stretched facilities and services has been immense.