Staff Correspondent: 55,000 Rohingya have gone to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports. The Saudi government has submitted their list to Bangladesh as their passports have expired.

Isa bin Yusuf Al-Duhailan, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Bangladesh, made the remarks at a hotel in the capital on Sunday (January 18th) after distributing relief supplies to Rohingya and locals.

The ambassador said that Saudi Arabia considers them (Rohingya) as Bangladeshis as they have taken Bangladeshi passports. They need a new passport or a renewed one.

In the meantime,Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan who was present at the same programme said, Bangladesh is looking into the matter in terms of renewal or reissuance.".

Asked how many Bangladeshis are being issued visas in Dhaka every day, the Saudi ambassador said around 1,500 visas have been issued since September 28. Arrangements have been made to give up to a maximum of six thousand. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, "If a Bangladeshi citizen has gone there (Saudi Arabia) as a Rohingya, we will certainly provide him with passport."

He added that the Rohingya problem is not new one. Rohingyas came even 50-60 years ago. And Saudi Arabia was so generous enough to sheltered the Rohingyas in saudi Arabia. We have always said that Rohingyas are not Bangladeshis, they are residents of Myanmar. If we give passports to our people, we will definitely renew them. But if they are residents of Myanmar, they are not Bangladeshis.

Saudi Foreign Minister's visit to Dhaka postponed: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan's proposed visit to Bangladesh has been postponed due to unavoidable domestic engagements. He was scheduled to pay a bilateral visit to Dhaka on January 24-26. In this context, the Saudi ambassador in Dhaka said that his visit to Dhaka has been postponed due to the new situation in Saudi Arabia and the foreign minister's own busy schedule. However, he hopes that the visit will be scheduled soon.

Meanwhile, a tripartite meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday among Bangladesh, Myanmar and China to discuss ways to expedite the Rohingya repatriation process to get a solution of the Rohingya Crisis.