Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque sees some progress with regards to the repatriation of Rohingyas although no date has been fixed yet for starting the process.

"I would say something has been done," he told reporters when asked about Myanmar's preparedness to take back its nationals from Bangladesh.

Over 720,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar's Rakhine State in the face of a brutal military crackdown on them since August 25 last year.

A 15-member high-profile Bangladesh delegation, led by Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, visited Rakhine on Saturday to see the accommodation facilities, particularly the pre-fabricated houses, for the returnees.

The foreign secretary and other members of the Joint Working Group accompanied the minister to Rakhine.

Talking to reporters after attending a seminar at Dhaka University, Shahidul said they were optimistic about the repatriation of Rohingyas.

He, however, said no deadline could be fixed right now for the repatriation as there were things to be done before the start of the process.

"We are hopeful of repatriating the Rohingyas. It will not be wise to get things done hurriedly."

The secretary said certain things needed to be in place so that Rohingyas feel confident to go back to their homes in Myanmar.

He also mentioned that repatriation to any country is a very "complex and difficult" issue which cannot be done overnight.

Shahidul said he had made it clear a year ago that the repatriation would not take place overnight. "It can never be done hurriedly as the issues of livelihood and building of houses are related. There is also the matter of building confidence among the Rohingya people."

He said the Bangladesh delegation had a very cordial discussion with the Myanmar side on Friday. The following day, they were taken to Rakhine, especially to the nearby areas of Maungdaw Township and Sittwe.

The Myanmar side, in all discussions, expressed willingness to take back their nationals, the secretary told journalists.

"We found both the Myanmar government and the local people are willing to take back the Rohingyas."