Bangladesh, July 24 -- "The Rohingya are not stateless people by circumstance; they are stateless by design," Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman said on Thursday.

He called for a political solution to the protracted crisis and stronger regional efforts to ensure the safe, voluntary and dignified return of more than 1.3 million forcibly displaced Rohingya to Myanmar.

Addressing the 33rd ARF Ministerial Meeting in Manila on Thursday, the foreign minister said the crisis could only be resolved through political means, stressing that Bangladesh had shouldered the humanitarian responsibility of hosting Rohingya refugees for nearly a decade. He urged ARF member states to collectively support efforts to create conditions in Myanmar conducive...