XIAMEN /China/, September 4. /TASS/. Russian and Egyptian Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who had a tete-a-tete meeting on Monday, condemned violence in Myanmar and called on that country’s authorities to take the situation under control, Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
"The two presidents exchanged views on the current situation in Myanmar. Both President Putin and President al-Sisi expressed serious concern over the developments in Myanmar and condemned any manifestations of violence regardless of where they come from and against who they are aimed, including against Muslims. They called on the country’s authorities to take the situation under control the soonest possible," he said.
Peskov has preferred to refrain from comments regarding Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s statements to the effect he disagreed with Russia’s stance on the conflict in Myanmar.
"I’ve read about different statements. We do know that Muslims are rather emotional about the events in Myanmar," Peskov said. "I’ve not seen them for myself yet. I would like to study them personally and then to make comments."
Peskov kept quiet when asked about his attitude to alleged promises by Moscow Muslims to launch a "jihad" in retaliation for the Myanmar authorities’ policies.
"This question should be addressed rather to the law enforcement agencies," he said.
"We are in Xiamen and it is difficult for us to say anything about that here. I would refrain from any commentaries on that score," Peskov said. "I will not make any comments until I see Kadyrov’s statements myself."
The Rohingya people - an ethnic minority professing Islam - resides in Myanmar’s State of Rakhine. The authorities regard them as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Religious conflicts in Rakhine and clashes between Muslims and Buddhists have been frequent. Thousands have suffered from violence there over the past few years.
The latest tensions flared up on August 25, when hundreds of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militants attacked 30 police posts. According to earlier reports, one week of clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in western Myanmar claimed 402 lives. More than 18,000 refugees fled the country. Moscow and Grozny saw rallies in support of Rakhine Muslims.