Iran seeking harmony between Muslims, Buddhists in Myanmar: Envoy

'Iran's foreign policy, within past years, has been acting with a long-term view and beyond the recent crisis in Myanmar,' said Mohsen Mohammadi.

'Iran has paid special attention to Rohingya and their miseries and has always taken proper measure, but at the same time has tried that this crisis does not turn into something between the Buddhists and the Muslims,' Mohammadi also said.

In the meetings held with thinkers from Iran, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka, and also in the visits to Myanmar's officials including Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's government leader, Iran has stated its concerns toward the rights of Muslims particularly Rohingyan Muslims, he noticed.

'We are facing a problem to send Iran's aids to Rohingyan Muslims, since Myanmar has not cooperated well and has only agreed to deliver the aids without Iran's agents being present which arouses the worry of misusing the aides by Myanmar's military,' Iran's accredited ambassador said.

'The present crisis is different from the ones in the past in a way that Myanmar military forces have created and armed an extremist group and use it to act brutally against anybody including Muslims and this gives the military forces a fine excuse to stay in power and challenge Aung San Suu Kyi,' said Mohammadi.

'The second extremist group is supported by Wahabis and Saudi Arabia and the group leader was born in Saudi Arabia and has been given military training in Pakistan,' he continued.

'The crisis and violence against Rohingyan Muslims have roots in poverty and historical struggles as well as the discriminatory policies and also the different political and economic situation in this country,' Iranian envoy said.

'The continuation of conflicts between the Buddhists and Muslims reinforces the extremists in both sides and paves the way for the presence of foreign extremist groups like Deash (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda in the region,' Mohammadi concluded.

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