Diplomatic Correspondent

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Wednesday sought New Zealand's active role at the international stage to help end the Rohingya crisis during a meeting with New Zealand High Commissioner David Pine at Bangabhaban in the capital.

“Bangladesh has given shelter to more than 11 lakh Rohingya people, forcibly displaced from Myanmar, on humanitarian ground,” the president said.

"But now it is a big problem for the country . . . And with each passing day the pressure on the Bangladesh government and it's people is on the rise,” Shahabuddin told the New Zealand envoy.

New Zealand would play an active role in different international forums for the safe and dignified repatriation of the Rohingyas, he hoped.

The president's Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin told BSS that during the meeting, the president thanked the outgoing New Zealand high commissioner for his successful performance in Bangladesh.

President Shahabuddin said New Zealand is one of the countries that recognised Bangladesh immediately after it gained independence.

Noting that Bangladesh and New Zealand have excellent bilateral ties, he said, there is an ample opportunity to expand the relationship between the two countries in various fields, including trade and investment.

The president put emphasis on visits by both public and private sector stakeholders of the two countries to explore these potentials.

New Zealand is one of the preferred destinations for Bangladeshi students seeking higher education, he mentioned.

Bangladeshi students would get more scopes for seeking higher education in New Zealand in the days to come, he hoped.

During the meeting, the outgoing high commissioner expressed his gratitude to the president for his full cooperation in fulfilling his duties.

He also sought for increasing the opportunities for higher education of Bangladeshis in New Zealand in the future.