04 July 2018•Update: 04 July 2018
By Merve Aydogan
ANKARA
Turkey on Wednesday announced that an international meeting on the Rohingya crisis is to take place in capital Ankara on July 6.
A Foreign Ministry statement recalled Turkey's continuous efforts to "provide support for Rohingya Muslims in order to find a solution to the humanitarian crisis".
"In this context, to discuss the challenges to the improvement of the humanitarian situation in the region, Turkey is organizing an International Rohingya Consultations Meeting with the participation of like-minded countries and active international organizations in the region on July 6, 2018, in Ankara," said the statement.
The Health Ministry and other Turkish nonprofit organizations, including the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Turkish Red Crescent and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) will participate in the meeting.
Since Aug. 25, 2017, some 750,000 Rohingya, mostly children and women, have fled to bordering Bangladesh after Myanmar forces began a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to Amnesty International.
At least 9,400 Rohingya were killed in Myanmar's Rakhine state from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24, 2017, according to Doctors Without Borders.
The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.
The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
