Saudi Arabia pledges support for Rohingya repatriation

Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed permanent representative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has assured Bangladesh of support for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

The assurance came when Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the OIC, Ambassador MJH Jabed, met his Saudi counterpart, Ambassador Khalid Bin Ismaeel Bin Badawi Bin Hussain Al Sharif, in Jeddah on Tuesday, according to a press release issued by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the OIC.

The two diplomats also discussed preparations for the upcoming 52nd session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), scheduled to be held in Baghdad.

During the meeting, Jabed expressed Bangladesh’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia following recent Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure in the kingdom, which claimed innocent lives, including those of two Bangladeshi nationals.

The Saudi envoy expressed appreciation to the people and government of Bangladesh for standing by Saudi Arabia during the attacks, which he described as violations of international law.

On the Rohingya issue, Al Sharif assured Saudi support for repatriation efforts. He also said an expected positive verdict by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) establishing responsibility for genocide would set a historic precedent in international human rights law.

The two sides also agreed to pursue a coordinated approach to key issues, including trade and finance, agriculture, healthcare, science and technology, at various OIC forums.