Erdogan, Annan discuss Myanmar's Rohingya crisis over phone

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation late Saturday with former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan over the recent situation in Rakhine State of Myanmar.

They discussed ways to resolve the crisis and end the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, as well as a recent report by the Annan-led Rakhine Advisory Commission, which calls for an end to the restrictions on the movement and citizenship of the 1.2-million Rohingya minority in Rakhine, local media reported, citing presidential sources.

Erdogan highlighted the urgency for the international community to stop the violence in Myanmar and deliver aid to the region.

Turkey is ready to work with the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh to seek a solution to the problem, Erdogan added.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council expressed "deep concern" over the situation in Rakhine State and called for an end to violence against the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority group in Myanmar, while UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the situation in Myanmar's Rakhine as "catastrophic."

source: Xinhua