First Lady Emine Erdogan says Turkey will raise Rohingya issue at UNGA

Turkey will raise the Rohingya issue in the next United Nations General Assembly or UNGA, the country's First Lady Emine Erdoğan has said after meeting refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh.

Emine went to coastal district Cox's Bazar, which hosts several refugee camps, hours after arriving in Dhaka on Thursday amid a global outcry for quick action to end persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.   

Speaking to the media after a visit to a camp at Kutupalong, Emine said Turkey would always stand by the side of Rohingya refugees.

She added her husband President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will take up the issue at the UNGA for an immediate solution to the Rohingya crisis.

She thanked Bangladesh government for giving shelter to the Rohingyas.

The Turkish first lady shed tears while hugging a Rohingya child and seeing the misery of the refugees. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who was accompanying Emine, said their government urged the international community to create pressure on Myanmar for resolution of the Rohingya issue.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam also accompanied the Turkish first lady.

The visit follows the latest bloodshed in Myanmar’s Rakhine State that resulted in the fresh influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh.

The arrivals started two weeks ago have already reached 164,000, the UN said on Thursday.

The World Food Programme estimates the total numbers can go up to 300,000.

The violence drew global condemnation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres wrote “officially” to the president of the Security Council to express his concern. He also appreciated Bangladesh for allowing in Rohingya refugees.

Turkish President Erdoğan phoned his Bangladesh counterpart Md Abdul Hamid and supported measures taken by Bangladesh over the Rohingya refugee issue last week. He expressed concern over the ongoing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State.