Myanmar softens stance after ICJ hearings: Bangladesh Minister

Myanmar has softened its stance after facing the hearings at the UNs International Court of Justice (ICJ) for alleged genocide against the Rohingya, Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen has said.

"They have softened their stance. They have invited me for a visit. These are good initiatives," bdnews24 reported citing Momen as saying here on Sunday.

The invitation had already been there, he noted.

"I had said that I would visit once all the Rohingya returned. Then I would meet them there. Now they (Myanmar) have invited me again. Let's see what can be done," he said.

It was an "unofficial" invitation, the Minister added.

"But I want them to come here and talk to their people (Rohingya) to understand their expectations. It may ease the repatriation," he added.

Last week, Aung San Suu Kyi, the state counsellor of Myanmar and Nobel Peace laureate, has defended the military rejecting accusations of genocide committed against the Rohingya as "incomplete and misleading" in recent hearings at the World Court in the Hague, reports bdnews24.

She also urged the court to dismiss the accusation, saying its own justice system should be given the chance to work first.

Bangladesh has been pursuing Myanmar to take back the over 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims who have taken refuge in Cox's Bazar after fleeing decades of persecution and a violent military crackdown in 2017.

The start of the repatriation process has stopped twice in as many years as the Rohingya fear they will be subjected to violence again if they return to their homeland without citizenship rights, which Myanmar denies them.

( With inputs from IANS )