OIC pledges strong support for faster, safe Rohingya repatriation

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has assured Bangladesh of its strong support for the swift and safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, newly elected Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said during a meeting with Bangladesh’s envoy in Jeddah on Wednesday (September 16).

Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the OIC, Ambassador M J H Javed, met the secretary-general at the OIC headquarters and handed him a congratulatory letter from Foreign Affairs Minister and President of the 81st UN General Assembly Khalilur Rahman.

During the meeting, the OIC chief warned that failure to find a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis could undermine regional security and cause serious hardship for countries across the region.

Javed conveyed the foreign minister’s greetings and reaffirmed Bangladesh’s full support for the new secretary-general in carrying out his responsibilities.

The OIC chief also praised Bangladesh’s democratic transition and expressed hope that the country’s development momentum would accelerate under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership.

He highlighted the contribution of the OIC-run Islamic University of Technology (IUT) in Gazipur to science and technology education among member states and pledged to explore new initiatives to strengthen its research and innovation capacity, including in artificial intelligence.

The secretary-general also said Bangladesh was among his top priorities for future visits.

The two sides discussed expanding economic cooperation among OIC member states, particularly through joint initiatives in contract farming, healthcare, science and technology, hospitality and education.

Javed thanked the secretary-general for his positive outlook towards Bangladesh and its new leadership, saying Dhaka looked forward to working more closely with the OIC Secretariat on shared regional and global issues.