For decades, Bangladesh has been sheltering thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled Burma in response to violence and persecution in Rakhine State. Bangladesh has sought to begin the repatriation process for Rohingya refugees at an early date through bilateral negotiations with Burma. However, Bangladesh and Burma are at loggerheads on this issue, so Bangladesh has been pressing the UNHCR to work with Burma’s government to expedite the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, said a spokesperson for Bangladesh’s foreign minister. Foreign Minister Ali expressed hope that the UNHCR would work with the international community to create “conducive conditions” in Burma’s Rakhine State for their return.

Despite differences of opinion regarding the Rohingya issue, Foreign Minister Ali said that Bangladesh’s relations with Burma have never been better and that Bangladesh has been pursuing “pro-active and constructive diplomatic engagements” with Naypyidaw both bilaterally and multilaterally.

At the meeting, Foreign Minister Ali expressed his appreciation for the UNHCR Chief’s performance since beginning her assignment in Dhaka last year, saying that Lgungdell has instilled fresh momentum into the UNHCR’s work in Bangladesh. Mr. Ali also thanked the UNHCR for providing continuous humanitarian support to the two refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, a seaside town in Bangladesh which also functions as a fishing port and boasts the world's longest natural sandy beach, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

During their meeting, Lgungdell commended Foreign Minister Ali for introducing a cash voucher system at the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps while he was Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, a move which the UNHCR Chief said facilitated the distribution of food rations inside the camps.