Turkey’s first lady is visiting Bangladesh to meet Rohingya Muslims who fled persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu said in a live interview with Turkish broadcaster ATV that “Many of our Muslim brothers have taken shelter in Bangladesh after fleeing persecution in the region.”
Cavusoglu noted that President Erdogan, who is also the term president of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has been discussing the issue with several Muslim leaders to find a solution.
Myanmar’s government on Tuesday allowed the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) to distribute 1,000 tons of aid to Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.
Turkish aid groups are helping Rohingya Muslims cross the border to Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/sUzUfBIDMu
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 7, 2017
The permission from Myanmar came hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s telephone call with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi on the recent violations of human rights in Rakhine.
As uncertainty and security concerns continue in the region, the aid will be distributed to conflict areas via military helicopters in coordination with the Rakhine state government, Cavusoglu said.
“The helicopters will land on the ground. And the distribution will be done from the ground.”
He said that TIKA has two coordination offices in the region and that two of its officials would travel there by helicopter to monitor the distribution process.
“We will supply vital needs to 100,000 families.”
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