Turkiye expresses concern over situation in Myanmar on coup anniversary

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) – Turkiye on Tuesday expressed concern over the situation in Myanmar on the first anniversary of the army's seizure of power.

"We are concerned that the situation in Myanmar maintains its gravity on the anniversary of the coup d'etat that took place on 1 February 2021," said a Foreign Ministry statement.

Turkiye is against any kind of coups and military interventions as a matter of principle, the readout reiterated, calling for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar.

"As we pointed out previously on various occasions, we call for the necessary steps to be taken for the restoration of democracy without delay to ensure peace and stability in the country as well as for the cessation of violence against the civilian population," it said.

The ministry also noted its "expectation that the conditions of the Rohingya Muslims living in Myanmar under dire circumstances be improved and the efforts be continued for a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis."

More than 1.2 million Rohingya were forced to flee Myanmar when forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in the Rakhine state in August 2017.

On Feb. 1, 2021, Myanmar's army took power after allegations of fraud in the 2020 general elections and political tensions in the Southeast Asian country.

It arrested leaders and officials of the ruling National League for Democracy party, including de facto leader and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, and declared a state of emergency.

Last December, a military court in Naypyidaw, the country’s administrative capital, sentenced her to four years in prison for violating coronavirus restrictions and incitement.

The military takeover has triggered mass protests and a crackdown on dissent with more than 1,500 civilians killed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local monitoring group.