Charles Whiteley, ambassador and head of delegation of the EU to Bangladesh UNB
Charles Whiteley, ambassador and head of delegation of the EU to Bangladesh UNB

Envoy: EU to remain steadfast partner of Bangladesh on Rohingya front

The European Union will continue to be a "steadfast partner" of Bangladesh in meeting the needs of the Rohingya and the host community with continued pressure on Myanmar for their safe return to their place of origin in Rakhine State, Head of Delegation of the EU to Bangladesh Ambassador Charles Whiteley has said.  "Clearly, I think, the majority of the Rohingya do want to go back to home," he told UNB in an interview mentioning that everyone, including the government of Bangladesh, underlined that any return has to be "voluntary and safe" for the refugees.  Responding to a question on the EU's business link with Myanmar, the EU envoy said they are very careful when it comes to the economy as some people say why the EU does not suspend the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme.  Myanmar has been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1995 and, as a least developed country, benefits from the EBA scheme, which grants unilateral duty- and quota-free access for all exports, except arms and ammunition, to the EU.

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