Embassies of 13 countries and the European Union delegation in Bangladesh, in a joint statement on Thursday, said that their countries would continue to pressure Myanmar to solve the Rohingya crisis and stop human rights violations under the military junta in the Buddhist majority state.
"We will also continue to push for a solution to the political and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar caused by the military coup of February 2021, a solution which must be inclusive," said the statement.
The joint statement by the diplomatic offices of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland was issued on the day when the persecuted Rohingya are observing the fifth anniversary of the exodus.
They are marking Aug. 25 as the genocide day after the Myanmar military launched a brutal killing operation on this day in 2017, forcing around 750,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh within a couple of days.
The merciless military clampdown has been marked as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing and genocide" by the world.
Bangladesh currently hosts more than 1.2 million Rohingya, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in their home country of Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August 2017.
Referring to the sanctions on some military officials in Myanmar and other individuals of the East Asian country, the statement added that they would continue to raise the plight of Rohingya on the international stage.
These countries will also keep efforts for a solution to the crisis that allows for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya to their communities in Rakhine State, Myanmar, as soon as conditions allow, the statement added.
"We note with concern the reports of escalating violence and serious human rights violations across Myanmar by the Myanmar military," the statement said, adding that the culture of impunity for military atrocities in Myanmar should be ended.
The statement recalled the commitment of the world leaders to protect human rights and the "accountability initiatives" for the terrible acts committed against the Rohingya.
"Our countries have imposed sanctions on some individuals responsible for serious human rights violations against Rohingya. We will continue working with the Bangladesh government, the United Nations, and international and national partners, to ensure that Rohingya refugees receive humanitarian assistance, protection and education," the statement noted.
'Rohingya must be part of solution'
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called on Myanmar's military-installed government Wednesday to include ethnic Rohingya in a solution to the country's political crisis.
He commented on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the start of a mass exodus by the Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres noted: "The unflagging aspirations for an inclusive future" for the Rohingya, who face widespread discrimination in Myanmar.
Following the military takeover, Dujarric said, "the humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Myanmar has deteriorated."
The secretary-general "underlines that the full and effective participation of the Rohingya people is an inherent part of a Myanmar-led solution to the crisis," he said. "It is critical that the international community continue to seek comprehensive, durable and inclusive solutions to the crisis."