FM Çavuşoğlu to travel to Bangladesh to discuss violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will travel to Bangladesh Wednesday to discuss the situation of Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.

Çavuşoğlu spoke with his Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali on the phone and discussed latest developments regarding the humanitarian situation.

He will travel from Baku to Bangladesh late Wednesday, diplomatic sources added.

The Turkish foreign minister has been involved in intense phone diplomacy and has spoken with his Malaysian, Indonesian, Qatari, Iranian counterparts regarding the matter.

Ankara has openly criticized the treatment of Rohingya Muslims living in the Rakhine state in Myanmar and has urged the international community to take action to prevent suffering.

Last week, Çavuşoğlu called on Bangladesh to open its doors to Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, saying that Turkey would be willing to cover the expenses for them.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also expected to hold talks with Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Violence broke out in the Rakhine after security forces launched an operation against Rohingya Muslims, forcing hundreds of thousands of people, including women and children to flee and seek refuge in neighboring Bangladesh.

Myanmar security forces are accused of using disproportionate force and destroying homes of the Rohingya.

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