East Asia Summit: Bangladesh calls for urgent action on Myanmar crisis

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has called for urgent action from the international community to act on an urgent basis to find a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis

Jakarta: Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has called for urgent action from the international community to act on an urgent basis to find a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis stating that it has pushed Bangladesh to its limits.

“It is the collective responsibility of the international community to find a durable solution to this crisis in its place of origin in Myanmar. Further delay to commence safe, voluntary and sustainable reparation and shortage of humanitarian support may put the entire region at risk,” he said.

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The Bangladesh president said this in his address at the inauguration ceremony of the 18th East Asia Summit at the Jakarta Convention Centre in the Indonesian Capital.

“Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina sheltered 1.2 million forcibly displaced people from Myanmar on humanitarian grounds. Even in the seventh year of the crisis, there is no solution in sight where Bangladesh is pushed to the limits,” he said.

The Bangladesh president also underscored the significance of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and said Bangladesh wishes to enhance its relations with ASEAN.

“I believe that IORA engagement in the Indo-Pacific region would ensure a fair, equitable and sustainable trade and investment environment that would enhance economic growth and cooperation while building resilient regional and global values chains,” said Shahabuddin.

Indonesia is the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.

East Asia Summit is the foremost of the ASEAN-centered mechanisms in the Indo-Pacific. Since its inception in 2005, it has played a significant role in providing a platform for dialogue and discussion on matters of strategic importance to the region.

The EAS is held annually by leaders of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity. The membership of EAS consists of 10 ASEAN Member States (i.e. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam), Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and the USA.

The first East Asia Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 14, 2005.

On Thursday Prime Minister Modi attended the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit at the invitation of Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo. The Prime Minister’s visit to Indonesia comes ahead of the G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10 under India’s Presidency this year.