EU pursuing political solution to Rohingya crisis: envoy

Ambassador and head of delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Michael Miller said the EU is working for a political solution to the Rohingya crisis in support of a safe, voluntary, and dignified return of the forcibly displaced people to their homeland Myanmar.

‘We support a political solution — the only viable path forward. We are working hard to facilitate it,’ said the EU envoy at a ‘DCAB Talk’ organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh at the National Press Club in the capital Dhaka.

Responding to a question about the position of the EU regarding the Rohingya crisis as Bangladesh is under fresh pressure to allow in more Rohingyas from the conflict-ridden Rakhine State and providing a humanitarian channel to the conflict zone, now being largely controlled by ethnic rebel Arakan Army, he said both Bangladesh and the EU believe that the return of Rohingyas must be safe, voluntary, and dignified.

As for allowing the humanitarian channel, he said that governments of both the countries must agree for a safe passage to provide assistances to the refugees on the other side of the border.

‘As a humanitarian partner for Bangladesh, we are quite happy to be pragmatic about how we can meet the needs of the refugees. If the refugees are here, we will meet their needs here. If they are on the other side of the border, we will also look at how we can channel assistance to them there,’ the diplomat said.

He said they have provided such cross-border assistance in other parts of the world. ‘But it can only work when individuals are safe on both sides of the border and when the governments agree,’ Miller added.

He, however, praised Bangladesh for its humanitarian efforts in hosting the displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar camps.

Asked about the United Nations’ fact-finding report on the July mass uprising, which forced the fall of the authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina in August, 2024, he said they supported the work of the UN fact-finding mission and underscored the need for holding accountable those behind the ‘terrible crimes’ committed during the student-led mass uprising.

DCAB president AKM Moinuddin and general secretary Md Arifuzzaman Mamun also spoke at the event.

More than 1.3 million Myanmar nationals from the Rohingya community have fled to Bangladesh amid brutal atrocities in the Rakhine State by the Myanmar military since 2017, according to Bangladesh government data.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has pressed the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner to ensure accommodating 1.13 lakh more Rohingyas, who entered Bangladesh between November 2023 and April 27, 2025, amid uncertainties of repatriation.

RRRC officials said that Rohingyas continued to enter Bangladesh as conflicts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state went on.