Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again raised the Kashmir dispute at the ongoing UN General Assembly session in New York.
During his address to the 78th UNGA session, the Turkish president said that without durable peace in the disputed Kashmir valley, stability in the South Asian region is not possible. And durable peace is not possible without dialogue between India and Pakistan, he added.
Birleşmiş Milletler 78'inci Genel Kurulu #UNGAhttps://t.co/cz3cFOiKTq
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) September 19, 2023
The Turkish president further said that the peace, stability and prosperity of South Asia is linked to the establishment of lasting peace in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which is only possible through dialogue and cooperation between Pakistan and India.
“As Turkiye, we will continue to support the steps to be taken in this direction,” he vowed.
Last year also, President Erdogan had addressed the issue of Kashmir during his address to world leaders at the UN General Assembly session.
“India and Pakistan, after having established their sovereignty and independence 75 years ago, they still haven't established peace and solidarity between one another. This is much unfortunate. We hope and pray that a fair and permanent peace and prosperity will be established in Kashmir,” the Turkish president had said.
In a pre-recorded video statement to the General Debate, Erdogan had referred to India-held Kashmir. At that time, New Delhi had termed his statements “completely unacceptable”, saying Turkiye should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.