Dhaka: Sushma Swaraj talks of terror, Rohingya crisis

Dhaka: India is “deeply concerned” at the spate of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state where normalcy will be restored only with the return of “displaced persons”, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said here on Sunday after resolving to join hands with Bangladesh in fighting “terrorism, extremism and radicalisation”.

After talks with the Bangladeshi side as part of the fourth Joint Consultative Commi-ssion, Ms Swaraj said, “India is deeply concerned at the spate of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.”

She, however, preferred not to use the word “Rohingya” and said that”we have urged that the situation be handled with restraint, keeping in mind the welfare of the population”.

“It is clear that normalcy will only be restored with the return of the displaced persons to Rakhine state.

“The only long term solution to the situation in Rakhine state is rapid socio-economic and infrastructure development that would have a positive impact on all the communities living in the state,” she said.

A UN report released on Sunday said that more than 600,000 Rohingya refugees  have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since violence erupted in northern Rakhine in August.

Ms Swaraj, who is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh, said New Delhi and Dhaka were unanimous on zero tolerance towards terrorism.

“We are both determined to protect our societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels,” she said.

Emerging from the talks with Bangladeshi officials, Ms Swaraj said, “We discussed the common challenges that we are faced with today. One such challenge is that of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation and we will continue to fight this scourge together and along with other like-minded countries.”

She also reaffirmed India’s commitment to be a longstanding and reliable development partner of Bangladesh

“Totally, three lines of credit amounting to $8 billion have been extended by India to Bangladesh so far. This is by far the largest development assistance that India has extended to any country worldwide,” she said.