FM Çavuşoğlu slams Muslim nations’ silence on Rohingya

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu condemned Saturday the silence of other Muslim countries on the plight of the Rohingya Muslims.

"There are a great many Muslim countries. Where are they? Why are they silent?" Çavuşoğlu asked at an event marking Qurban Bayram (Feast of the Sacrıfice), also known as Eid al-Adha, in Turkey's southern province of Antalya.

Çavuşoğlu underlined that Turkey has delivered more than $70 million in humanitarian aid to the Rohingya Muslims so far, adding that no country in the world was showing more concern for the Rohingya than Turkey.

"It's not enough to deliver aid. In two weeks we need to hold a meeting in New York with the UN's secretary-general, leaders of Muslim countries, international organizations, head of the UN Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Kofi Annan, and other leaders to solve this issue," the foreign minister said.

Myanmar security forces launched an operation against the Rohingya Muslim community on August 25, leading to increased violence in the region.

Myanmar's move triggered a fresh influx of refugees towards neighboring Bangladesh, though the country sealed off its border to refugees.

According to media reports, Myanmar security forces used disproportionate force, displacing thousands of Rohingya villagers and destroying their homes with mortars and machine guns.

The region has seen simmering tension between its Buddhist and Muslim populations since communal violence broke out in 2012.

A security crackdown launched last October in Maungdaw, where Rohingya make up the majority, led to a U.N. report on human rights violations by security forces that indicated crimes against humanity.

The UN documented mass gang-rape, killings -- including infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances. Rohingya representatives have said approximately 400 people have been slain during the crackdown.