A Turkish delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has demanded that the assembly immediately discuss the latest developments in Myanmar's Rakhine state and take steps to stop the violence against Rohingya Muslims there.
Talip Küçükcan, the head of the Turkish delegation and a Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy, made the request on his official Twitter account, saying the Turkish delegation "demanded an urgent discussion at PACE to stop the attacks against the Rohingya Muslims and the rights violations."
"In Myanmar's Rakhine state, human rights and the values of the Council of Europe [CoE] are being undermined and violated. I believe that there is much CoE members can and must do to stop this tragedy, and secure the safety of civilians in Myanmar," Küçükcan's letter to PACE read.
The Turkish state has recently exerted serious efforts to help heal the wounds of Rohingya Muslims, who were forced to flee Myanmar to escape state persecution and violence.
Turkish humanitarian organizations including Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Turkish Red Crescent and the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) have been in the region to deliver aid to the estranged minority.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in an interview earlier this week said that instead of sending from Turkey, the humanitarian aid will be procured from Bangladesh.
"We are taking many factors into consideration. For instance, we decided not to send food, clothing or medicine from Turkey, but instead procure them from Bangladesh in order to contribute to its economy. I have also conveyed this to the president of Bangladesh. We have so far procured 1,000 tons of aid supplies, which are being distributed at the moment," he said.
"In the second phase, there will be a procurement of 10,000 tons. We will continue to provide assistance there. I have also talked with the president of Iran. I have asked him for cooperation and he responded positively. He said that we should first try to resolve this issue with the Myanmar administration and that we could talk with the Bangladesh administration if we are unable to do so with Myanmar. I hope we will be able to find relief for this tragedy soon, if not resolve it completely," the President added.
