Rohingyas with Bangladeshi passports considered Bangladeshi: Saudi envoy

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Issa bin Youssef Al-Duhailan today said they are considering those Rohingyas as Bangladeshis who have been to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports.

He said a high-level committee has been formed to scrutinise the process.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan who was present at the same programme said the Rohingya issue is a "very old one" and they will look into it in terms of renewal or reissuance of the passports.

"Those who are from Myanmar, are not Bangladeshi citizens... they are citizens of Myanmar," he said. They were speaking at a food distribution event at a Dhaka hotel.

According to media reports, around 55,000 Rohingyas went to Saudi Arabia on various occasions with Bangladeshi passports.

The Home Minister said Bangladesh continues its efforts on all fronts for the repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State and hoped that the Saudi government will continue its support.

The Saudi Ambassador said the proposed visit of Saudi Foreign Minister has been postponed due to his domestic engagement and the visit will happen soon to discuss bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China will hold a tripartite meeting virtually on Tuesday to discuss ways to expedite the Rohingya repatriation process as the international community finds the repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar as the only solution to the crisis.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh has handed over a list of 8 lakh 40 thousand Rohingyas to Myanmar for verification.