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| OIC chief. Photo: UNB |
Jul 30, 2017
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) Yousef A Al Othaimeen is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on
Wednesday and will visit Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar on Friday to see the
situation there, reports UNB.
The OIC repeatedly condemned the violence and abuse
against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar in the past months.
Othaimeen is likely to reiterate its call to the
government of Myanmar to eliminate the 'root causes' affecting the Rohingya
Muslim minority, a diplomatic source told UNB.
The OIC council of foreign ministers during the
extraordinary session on 19 January in Kuala Lumpur urged Myanmar to eliminate
the root causes affecting the Rohingya Muslim minority and restore their
citizenship.
The secretary general will lead a five-member delegation
during the four-day visit, officials at the foreign ministry said.
This will be his first visit to Bangladesh since assuming
charge as the OIC secretary general.
During the visit, Othaimeen will meet President Abdul
Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday.
He will also hold a meeting with foreign minister AH
Mahmood Ali who will host a dinner in honour of him in the evening.
The secretary general will visit the Kutupalong camp and
surroundings in Cox's Bazar and the Rakhine Muslims there on Friday to express
OIC 'sympathy and solidarity' with them.
This will give the OIC secretary general an opportunity
of briefing from the local administration and representatives of International
humanitarian organisations working there, said foreign ministry officials.
The visit, according to the foreign ministry, will give
the secretary general an opportunity to familiarise himself with Bangladesh, a
country playing increasingly important role in OIC.
Officials said the visit will also give him the
opportunity to seek views and suggestions of Bangladesh leadership on various
OIC issues and matters of importance to the Muslim Ummah.
The visit will allow discussion on Bangladesh-OIC
secretariat cooperation apart from various other areas of bilateral cooperation
as Bangladesh is going to host the 45th OIC council of foreign ministers next
year, said the Foreign Ministry.