Online Desk: Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday expressed his optimism over commencement of the Rohingya repatriation soon, hoping that the current situation in Myanmar may not remain the same.

“Situation in Myanmar has never been good. It always fluctuates – sometimes good, sometimes bad. Myanmar is going through such a situation,” he told reporters after his meetings with three envoys separately at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He, however, said this current situation is an adverse one for the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine.

Talking to reporters, UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Gwyn Lewis said the security situation inside Myanmar is very difficult at the moment and it is not a good time for Rohingya repatriation.

The UNRC said repatriation is a priority for Bangladesh, and Rohingyas as well as Bangladesh have agreed on their safe and dignified return to Myanmar.

“We will continue to work in that direction,” she said, noting that there is a shortage of financing for the basic services that the Rohingyas need.

In the meeting with FM Hasan, they discussed financing issues for the Rohingyas and security issues both inside Myanmar and Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.

The UNRC explained to the minister that they are doing what they can in Myanmar to provide humanitarian support. “We are very concerned about humanitarian support.”

Earlier, the United Nations called for solidarity and increased funding for the Rohingyas and their host communities in Cox’s Bazar.

“The refugees need our solidarity, and the host communities need our solidarity. We need increased funding for all of that,” Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a regular media briefing in New York recently.

He said no refugee should be repatriated against their will.

It needs to be done voluntarily and in a manner that preserves their dignity and their safety, said the spokesperson.

“It is clear for us that the situation in Myanmar currently does not meet the necessary requirements. What we do need is increased global solidarity for those communities that are hosting Rohingya refugees generously, like the community in Cox’s Bazar, which the Secretary-General has visited,” Dujarric said.