urged the Russian government to exert more pressure on Myanmar for starting Rohingya repatriation from Bangladesh to their land of origin in Rakhine.

“Russian government has a lot of influence on Myanmar. . . (so we believe) if they can put more pressure on Myanmar, hopefully, they (Myanmar) will take back their displaced people (Rohingyas),” he said.

The minister was addressing the 5th Asian Conference of the Soviet/Russian Graduates organized by Soviet Alumni Association in South Asia at a city hotel on Monday (Dec 23), reports BSS.

He said Myanmar had agreed to take back their displaced nationals from Bangladesh but now they are delaying the process.

Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there since August 25, 2017, after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” by other rights groups.

In the last two years, not a single Rohingya was repatriated as Myanmar failed to build trust among their forcibly displaced nationals that there is a conducive environment in Rakhine State to go back.

Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander I. Ignatov also spoke on the occasion.