Bangladesh interim government foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday assured that all Bangladeshis stranded in Nepal, including members of the national football team, are safe and will be able to return once the situation there normalises.
鈥楢s long as the situation does not improve, we can do nothing. Their return will be possible as soon as flights between Dhaka and Kathmandu resume normal operations,鈥� he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this afternoon.
Touhid ruled out the possibility of bringing them back through India, saying none of them holds an Indian visa. 鈥楽o, we have to wait,鈥� he added.
The adviser said a positive gesture was seen during the unrest when protesters, while searching hotels for political leaders, encountered the Bangladeshi footballers but moved away without disturbing them.
鈥楾hey have no negative feelings towards us, and I do not anticipate any crisis,鈥� Touhid said, assuring that Bangladeshi nationals in Nepal remain safe amid the unrest.
He noted that the embassy in Kathmandu has been maintaining constant communication with those stranded. 鈥榃e hope everyone will return safely, but it will take some time,鈥� he added.
On another note, Touhid said Bangladesh would respond positively if the United Nations sought to deploy Bangladeshi peacekeepers in a buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine.
鈥業t is for the United Nations to decide, and hopefully there will be a ceasefire between the two sides,鈥� Touhid observed, noting that only then the UN moves forward with concrete steps.
Highlighting Bangladesh鈥檚 long-standing contribution to global peacekeeping, the adviser added, 鈥楪iven our experience, if such a situation arises, we would definitely want to participate.鈥�
Replying to a query about the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi over water-sharing agreements between Bangladesh and India, the adviser said he had not yet received any update.
鈥極nce I get the information, I will let you know,鈥� he added.
