(VOVworld) - US President Barack Obama has called for an "inclusive and credible" election process next year in Myanmar.

Myanmar government and armed ethnic groups at a discussion on draft ceasefire agreement (Photo: Xinhua)

During a telephone talk with Myanmar’s President, Thein Sein, Mr. Obama welcomed the commitment of Mr. Thein Sein and his government to the peace process and said every effort should be made to conclude a national ceasefire in the short term. He also asked President Thein Sein to take "additional steps" to bring peace to the western state of Rakhine, where two waves of deadly violence in 2012 between Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims left about 200 people dead and around 140,000 displaced, mainly Rohingya.

Myanmar’s general election is scheduled to be held in the last week of October or the first week of November 2015.