Malaysia, along with several regional partners, will depute a joint delegation to Myanmar aimed at advocating for peace and delivering humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees suffering in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of the Southeast Asian nation announced on Tuesday.
Bangladesh shelters more than 1 million Rohingya refugees in camps in its southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee settlement.
Anwar’s comments came at the start of a three-day visit by Bangladesh’s interim head, Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, to Malaysia.
“To secure peace in Myanmar is, of course, a great priority, along with immediate humanitarian assistance for the suffering first, the refugees and also the victims of earthquakes,” Anwar told a joint press briefing with Yunus.
Deepening Bilateral Ties
Muhammad Yunus and Anwar met bilaterally at Perdana Putra in Putrajaya on Tuesday, reaffirming their shared commitment to elevate Bangladesh–Malaysia relations into a deeper, future-focused strategic partnership.
The leaders began with a private one-on-one meeting, followed by a restricted session involving select senior officials. They led delegation-level discussions addressing a broad spectrum of bilateral topics, including trade, investment, migration, energy collaboration, the blue economy, education, and cultural exchanges.
“Our nations share a profound bond grounded in history, religion, and cultural understanding. Malaysia is a distinctive partner for Bangladesh, especially in human resources, trade, and people-to-people connections,” Yunus said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar referred to Yunus as “a friend of Malaysia” and praised his leadership of Bangladesh’s interim government over the past year. He stressed the importance of enhancing trade ties and expanding cooperation in migrant worker welfare, education, and resolving the Rohingya crisis.
Malaysia and Bangladesh signed five pacts during Yunus’s visit, covering defence cooperation and collaboration in the supply and infrastructure of liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, and related facilities.
Myanmar Mission
Malaysia’s foreign minister will coordinate the Myanmar mission, set for the coming weeks, along with counterparts from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, added Anwar, who is chair of the ASEAN regional grouping this year.
“We are concerned with the burden placed on Bangladesh of having to cater for enormous numbers of Rohingya refugees.”
Escalating conflict and targeted violence against the Rohingya, a mostly Muslim minority in mainly Buddhist Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, have forced about 150,000 to flee to Bangladesh in the past 18 months, the United Nations said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
