Astana, Dhu-AlHijjah 20, 1438, September 11, 2017, SPA -- The Heads of State and government of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a meeting to discuss the current developments of the situation of the Muslim Rohingya community in Myanmar, on the sidelines of the 1st OIC Summit of Science and Technology in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, on 10th September 2017, on the initiative of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Turkey, the current chairman of the OIC Summit. The Meeting expressed grave concern over the recent systematic brutal acts perpetrated by security forces against the Rohingya Muslim Community in Myanmar, which constitute a serious and blatant violation of international law, and which have affected over 270,000 Muslims who have been forcibly displaced to Bangladesh, in addition to the burning of their houses and places of worship. The Meeting called upon the Government of Myanmar to accept the UN Human Rights Council’s fact-finding mission to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into all alleged violations of international human rights law and to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Meeting urged the Government of Myanmar to honor its obligations under international law and human rights covenants, and to take all measures to immediately halt acts of dispersion and discriminatory practices against Rohingya Muslims, as well as the continuous attempts to obliterate their Islamic culture and identity, including delisting them from household lists and demolition of places of worship, institutions and houses of Muslim minorities. The Meeting urged the Government of Myanmar to eliminate the root causes, including the denial of citizenship based on the 1982 Citizenship Act which has led to statelessness and deprival of the rights of the Rohingya Muslim Minority, and to continued dispossession and discrimination against them, and urged it to work towards a just and sustainable solution to this issue. The Meeting urged the Government of Myanmar to take urgent measures for a sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and internally and externally displaced Rohingya Muslims to their homeland, Rakhine State, in safety, security, dignity and with ensured livelihood. The Meeting reiterated its call to the Government of Myanmar to revive the agreement to open an OIC Office for humanitarian affairs in Yangon after signing a Memorandum of Cooperation with the OIC to that effect. The purpose of the OIC office was to provide pure humanitarian assistance without distinction between the victims of violence. --More 12:59 LOCAL TIME 09:59 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w484934