Sushma, Hasina talk in flight on Rohingya issue

New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj assured Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resolve the present Rohingya crisis. Bangladesh PM and Swaraj took the same Etihad Airways flight to New York from Abu Dhabi. Sources confirmed that they had a brief meeting on board. Before leaving for UNGA, Swaraj telephoned Bangladesh premiere about a possible bilateral meeting between them. Both of them decided to board same flight from Abu Dhabi so that they could meet for some time.

Sushma Swaraj said that India always stands by Bangladesh and would help to resolve present Rohingya crisis, said a source. As Indian foreign minister has a busy schedule at New York and already twenty bilateral meetings has been fixed, it might be difficult to meet separately with the Bangladesh PM. Swaraj will participate in ministerial meeting of the NAM committee on Palestine later in the day. Bangladersh Foreign minister A H Mahmood Ali will also be there. There will be a chance meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines.

It is learnt that Swaraj briefed the Bnagladesh PM About India's stand on the Rohingya issue. She also briefed about possible infiltration of some non-state actors along with the refugees. Bangladesh PM expressed concerns about possible terrorist threat from a section of the so-called refugees. Only on Monday there was a bomb blast near Cox's Bazaar, a border town. The Bangladesh government has confirmed this untoward incident and took all precautionary measures.

Swaraj also expressed hope that soon Myanmar government would take a decision about Rohingyas. Meanwhile, Myanmar foreign office has communicated to India that Myanmar had formed a committee to look into the recommendation of the Kofi Anan committee for resolving the Rohingya crisis.

In New York, Indian External Affairs Minister has a packed schedule on Tuesday. She will have bilateral meeting the Mexico FM Dr Luis Videgaray Caso, then with the Norway FM, Belgium Deputy Prime Minister and Mauritian PM. Besides, she will attend a meeting with CARICOM, Leadership summit on Enviornmental pact presided by French PM.