Desk Report:
The British High Commissioner has reiterated his commitment that the UK wants to continue support for Rohingya refugees (displaced Myanmar citizens).
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke, during a courtesy call on Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at his office in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday (March 8, 2026) morning, reiterated this commitment to the minister.
The minister said that four issues are very important for the overall socio-economic development of Rohingya refugees. They are – security of the camps, skill development of refugees, repatriation and control of drugs and other crimes in the camps. We are working on these issues. Stating that the UK agrees with this, the High Commissioner said that the Rohingya issue is regularly debated or discussed in the UN Security Council. Through this, we want to keep the Rohingya issue in the spotlight in the international arena. He also said that like Bangladesh, we also believe in the repatriation of Rohingyas, but it must be safe.
The meeting discussed various issues of mutual interest including law and order and security issues between the two countries, the Rohingya issue, police reform, illegal and irregular migration, counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and others.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Minister welcomed the High Commissioner and the High Commissioner congratulated the Minister on assuming his new portfolio. The Minister said that the UK is a close ally and one of the development partners of Bangladesh. He said that an agreement will be signed between the two countries soon to stop visa fraud. The UK has prepared and sent a draft of the agreement. We want to sign the agreement by following the due process. At the time, the High Commissioner said that there is a need to increase close cooperation between the two countries to prevent irregular migration. A virtual meeting will be organized soon between experts and high-level officials of the two countries in this regard.
The Minister sought the UK’s cooperation in police reform. Moreover, both sides agreed on the exchange of intelligence information and extradition between the two countries. Moreover, the two countries pledged to work together to combat terrorism. At that time, the High Commissioner said that a meeting will be held at the level of Home Ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the “International Fraud Summit” to be held in the Austrian capital Vienna on March 16-17, 2026.
The meeting was attended by Rebecca Khan, Joint Secretary, Political-1 Branch, Ministry of Home Affairs, Tim Duckett, Political Counsellor, British High Commission, Dhaka, Ryan Duncanson, Counsellor, Justice and Home Affairs, International Liaison and Migration Officer, Abdul Wahid, among others.
