YANGON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has underscored that the country will not shirk its responsibility to take care of the rights and security of people, according to the Foreign Ministry Monday.
The counselor made the response to the remarks by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres regarding Rakhine issue.
At the opening session of the 10th ASEAN-UN Summit in Bangkok on Sunday, Guterres expressed concern over the situation in Rakhine state and the plight of the refugees in Cox's Bazaar, saying Myanmar is responsible to ensure a conducive environment for safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees.
The counselor pointed out that the Rakhine issue is a most complex one and that the UN and its agencies, which have been present in the region for 10 times longer than the present government has been in office, must have some idea of the extent of the complexities.
The Myanmar government was fully committed to take back the verified returnees based on the bilateral agreement signed with Bangladesh and the trilateral agreement signed with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UN Development Program (UNDP), she said.
She expressed appreciation to ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat for their constructive contribution to Myanmar's efforts in creating the most suitable environment to which the displaced people can return in peace and security and voluntarily.
She reaffirmed Myanmar's intention to continue its work with the help of friends who approach the problems in Rakhine in a practical and balanced way.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which Myanmar declared as an extremist terrorist group, launched repeated attacks on police outposts in Rakhine state on Aug. 25, 2017, displacing a vast number of residents to areas bordering Bangladesh.
