Turkey urges global action on Rohingya Muslims

Rohingya refugees sit as they are temporarily held by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in an open area after crossing the border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Sunday. (REUTERS)

ANKARA: Turkey has called on the international community to put pressure on Myanmar鈥檚 government to stop the killing and displacement of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Saturday said Turkey has so far delivered more than $70 million in humanitarian aid to the Rohingya, but delivering aid is not enough.

鈥淚n two weeks, we need to hold a meeting in New York with the UN secretary-general, leaders of Muslim countries, international organizations, the head of the UN Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Kofi Annan, and other leaders to solve this issue,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e鈥檝e called upon the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). We鈥檒l organize a summit this year on the issue. We have to find a definitive solution to this problem.鈥�

Cavusoglu also urged the Bangladeshi government to 鈥渙pen its doors鈥� to Rohingya Muslims, and pledged to cover all costs to accommodate them.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has accused Myanmar of 鈥済enocide鈥� against the Rohingya, continued his telephone diplomacy with the leaders of Senegal, Nigeria and Kazakhstan, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

He is expected to discuss the crisis on the phone with the leaders of Pakistan, Iran, Mauritania, Qatar, 黑料社区, Kuwait, Azerbaijan and Bangladesh this week. Meanwhile, Cavusoglu spoke with former UN Secretary-General Annan.

Dr. Altay Atli, a research associate at Sabanci University鈥檚 Istanbul Policy Center, said Turkey can draw global attention to the tragedy and facilitate multilateral steps to resolve the issue.

鈥淚 see, however, two obstacles in this respect,鈥� Atli told Arab News. 鈥淥ne is related to what I call 鈥榙emocracy illusion鈥� in Myanmar. There鈥檚 a democratic transition, the junta has left, there were elections, but democratization takes time.鈥�

With the international community buying into this 鈥渄emocracy illusion,鈥� it turned a blind eye to ongoing undemocratic practices, including the situation of ethnic minorities, he said.

Furthermore, Western countries want to access Myanmar鈥檚 natural resources and counterbalance China鈥檚 influence there, Atli added.

鈥淭he second problem relates to the OIC鈥檚 inability to act in unison, make binding decisions and enforce them,鈥� he said.

Talip Kucukcan, a lawmaker from Turkey鈥檚 ruling Justice and Development Party, said Ankara has taken the lead in raising awareness about the plight of the Rohingya, and calls on the international community to take effective steps to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

鈥淎 humanitarian tragedy is unfolding, while the international community pays lip service to the slaughter and forced migration of Muslims,鈥� he told Arab News.

鈥淭he lack of response around the world indicates that UN and other agencies are becoming useless entities,鈥� he said.

鈥淎nkara couldn鈥檛 remain silent over the plight of Rohingya Muslims, not because Turks belong to the same religion, but due to Turkey鈥檚 emphasis and investment in humanitarian assistance worldwide.鈥�

Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, and provides humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries regardless of religion or ethnicity, said Kucukcan.