The following is attributable to Spokesperson Clayton M. McCleskey:

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green met today with Her Excellency Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of Burma in Naypyitaw. The Administrator voiced the United States' deep concern about the crisis in Rakhine State, which has displaced nearly 700,000 Rohingya since August 2017. He noted U.S. support for Burma's transition to a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic state, and noted the importance of resolving the crisis to this transition.

Administrator Green and the State Counsellor had a frank, constructive, and open discussion in which the Administrator called on the Government of Burma to take concrete actions to respect the dignity and rights of all people in Burma, and to take measures that would allow the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of Rohingya and other vulnerable communities displaced by violence. The U.S. delegation also urged progress on the trilateral Memorandum of Understanding being negotiated by the Government of Burma with the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Development Programme to support the conditions to permit the voluntary return of refugees from Bangladesh.

The Administrator underscored USAID's continued commitment to supporting the people of Burma, including through innovations in food security, health programming, humanitarian assistance, and support for civil society and democratic reforms.

U.S. Ambassador to Burma Scot Marciel, USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia Gloria Steele, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Mark Storella, and USAID Burma Mission Director Teresa McGhie also joined the meeting.