Tehran, Sept 10: Iran’s President Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan have stressed their respective countries’ resolve to help settle the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday night on the sidelines of OIC summit in Kazakh capital Astana, during which the two sides conferred on bilateral ties, fighting terrorism and the grievous situation of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
President Rouhani called for an immediate stop to the crimes committed against Rohingya Muslims, urging heads of Muslim countries to prioritize treating the cases of the injured and the refugees of the Rohingya crisis.
“Iran and Turkey, as well as all other OIC countries, must endeavor to put international pressure on the Burmese government at the same time as they make efforts to send humanitarian aid to Rohingya Muslims,” President Rouhani said, voicing hope that the Sunday OIC session on Myanmar would send a clear message to those exerting violence on Rohingya Muslims.
Elsewhere, Rouhani discussed the current status of bilateral ties between Iran and Turkey, expressing hope for further expansion of cooperation in regional issues during the upcoming visit of President Erdogan to Tehran and the formation of the two countries’ high council for strategic cooperation.
The Iranian president also highlighted the major and effective roles of the two countries in regional issues, particularly in the fight against terrorism, voicing hope that cooperation among Iran, Turkey and Russia on restoring stability and security to Syria would soon reach a final conclusion.
Turkish President Erdogan, for his part, deemed Iran-Turkey’s united front in combating terrorism highly important, calling for further steps to be taken by the two countries toward stabilizing the region.
“We must not allow foreign powers to take shares out of Syria for their own personal gains,” he stressed.
Erdogan further conferred with Rouhani on his country’s assistance to Muslims in Myanmar, adding “I hope the Sunday OIC session on Myanmar will lead to a decisive statement. We can take joint measures with Iran in helping to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, and we need to issue a serious warning to the Burmese government to put an immediate stop to the violence against Rohingya Muslims.”
The ministerial meeting, preparatory to the OIC Summit on Science and Technology, started Saturday 9 September, in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan. The summit will be held on 10-11 September, with a view to identifying priorities, goals and targets for the advancement and promotion of science, technology and innovation in the OIC Member States.
The summit also includes a session on the situation of Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. In separate letters, the OIC Secretary Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen has urged the European Union and United Nations to take decisive steps to end the ongoing crisis in Rakhine State.
Rouhani, Erdogan talk Rohingya crisis, fighting terrorism
