Staff Correspondent

Dhaka has called for strong support from ASEAN Member States for Bangladesh to become Sectoral Dialogue Partner of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Bangladesh reiterated the call at the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) held on Saturday (8 June) in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, said the Foreign Ministry.

Highlighting the critical role of ASEAN in resolving the Rohingya crisis, Md Rais Hasan Sarower, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasised the need for stronger and more effective cooperation from ASEAN leaders and ARF Member States to ensure the safe, sustainable, and dignified return of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals from their temporary shelter in Bangladesh to their homeland in Myanmar.

Drawing on the foreign policy dictum of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, "Friendship to all, malice towards none," Director General Rais reiterated Bangladesh’s commitment to and continued support for ARF activities aimed at promoting collective security, peace, and shared prosperity.

On the sidelines of the 31st ARF SOM, Rais Hasan held bilateral meetings with Ms. Michelle Chan, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, and Ms Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN and discussed issues of mutual interest.

The 31st ARF SOM was chaired by Thongphane Savanphet, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR. Senior officials at the level of Foreign Secretaries and Ambassadors from 27 ARF Member States participated in that meeting.