Indonesia Calls on OIC to Improve Situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State
Jakarta. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi addressed her counterparts in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC, on Thursday (19/01) on efforts to improve conditions for Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of the OIC's Council of Foreign Ministers in Kuala Lumpur on the plight of Rohingya Muslims, Retno conveyed Indonesia's concerns over the security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
"Only by taking constructive and inclusive measures can the OIC contribute to improving conditions in Rakhine State," Retno said. She added that the Myanmar government had a duty to protect and preserve human rights after the conflict broke out on Oct. 9 last year.
Retno also discussed details of her recent meeting with Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali, as well as her visit to a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh.
The minister said Indonesia convinced Myanmar to participate in a ministerial level meeting, dubbed the Asean Retreat, last month, which resulted in the delivery of humanitarian aid from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to all communities in Rakhine State.
Myanmar will also gradually open access to the media, as well as report the latest developments in Rakhine State to the foreign ministers of Asean member states.
After the OIC meeting, Retno will visit Sittwe in Rakhine State to deliver 10 containers of Indonesian humanitarian aid – granted by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Dec. 29.
Retno will also officiate at the opening of two new Indonesia-funded schools for communities in the troubled province.
Indonesia previously promised long-term assistance through capacity building measures in democracy, good governance and training for police in Myanmar.
"Indonesia has chosen to take constructive and inclusive measures to assist the Myanmar government in improving the situation in Rakhine State, including for the Muslim minority," Retno said.
An interfaith dialog team will be sent to build trust on the grassroots level between Buddhist and Muslim communities in the region.
In a statement issued after the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, OIC states expressed their appreciation of Indonesia's leadership and its measures to find a resolution to the situation in Rakhine State.
Indonesia also proposed four measures to the OIC to contribute to improving the situation.
These steps include assistance to prevent a worsening of the situation in Rakhine State, constructive engagement with the Myanmar government, collaborating with regional organizations such as Asean, as well as becoming partners for economic development in Myanmar – especially the possibility of a partnership with the Islamic Development Bank.
The OIC meeting also agreed on two outcome documents – a resolution on humanitarian aid for the Rohingya Muslim minority and a final communique that urges OIC representatives in New York, Geneva and Brussels to review developments in Myanmar.
The Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Palestine and the City of Al Quds Al Sharif was also passed during the meeting, with all member states agreeing to support a resolution by the Middle East Peace Conference that took place in Paris on Jan. 15, to mobilize support for a two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict.
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