Bangladesh, EU agree to step up anti-trafficking co-op

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner discussed measures to combat illegal migration and human trafficking at a meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka on Monday.
Brunner led a high-level EU delegation. The two sides also discussed expanding legal recruitment of skilled workers, strengthening border security and the Rohingya crisis. Salahuddin said the government had adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal migration and was committed to working with the EU to prevent trafficking through dangerous routes. Bangladesh wanted to bring illegal migration down to zero and send fully documented, skilled workers to the European labour market, he said.
Brunner said preventing human trafficking and closing illegal routes were priorities for both sides. Reducing illegal migration would make it easier for Bangladeshi workers to enter Europe through legal channels, he added.
The meeting also covered international-standard training and certification under the Talent Partnership project. 
The home minister said Bangladesh had invited training experts from EU member states to train and certify around 750 skilled workers facing difficulties in obtaining European certification. The EU delegation responded positively, he said. Salahuddin said an Advanced Passenger Information and Border Management System, linked to the Interpol database, would be introduced at airports,  seaports and land ports by the end of this year to monitor passenger traffic and identify criminals.
The two sides also discussed a direct institutional understanding between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).
On the Rohingya crisis, the home minister urged the EU to help build international pressure for a solution. He said uncontrolled population growth and recent regional instability had made the crisis a serious threat to regional and global security. He sought EU cooperation in pressing Myanmar and the Arakan Army to ensure the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas.