OIC Malaysia meeting to focus on Rohingya Muslims

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) – An Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s Council of Foreign Ministers on Thursday will focus on Rohingya Muslims, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, the meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will take up the humanitarian crisis faced by Rohingya Muslims following violence which erupted on Oct. 9 in northern Rakhine State in Myanmar.

Turkey will be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz, the ministry said.

Turkey would approach the situation of Muslims living in Myanmar with the "utmost care," the statement said, recalling that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited Rakhine State during an official visit to Myanmar on 13-14 June 2016, meeting members of the Muslim community there.

"The amount of humanitarian assistance that Turkey has been providing to Myanmar through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Turkish Red Crescent and Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) has reached $13 million since November 2012," the statement added.

On Tuesday, a Muslim gathering in a small Myanmar town was canceled due to a protest from a Buddhist nationalist group -- marking the second such disturbance in the country this month.