Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday involved an answer to the decades-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan on the idea of the United Nations resolutions.
Addressing the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), he said during a wide-ranging speech to the 193-member assembly: “We maintain our stance in favor of solving the continued problem in Kashmir for 74 years, through dialogue between the parties and within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions.”
President Erdogan has consistently raised the Kashmir issue at the annual sessions of the UNGA.
At the 75th session, the Turkish leader had said: “The Kashmir conflict, which is additionally key to the steadiness and peace in South Asia, remains a burning issue. Steps were taken following the abolition of the special status of [occupied] Jammu and Kashmir further complicated the matter .”
His espousal of the Kashmir cause has evoked strong protests from India, which claims that Jammu and Kashmir are its “internal matter”.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of Washington-based advocacy group World Kashmir Awareness Forum, welcomed President Erdogan’s regard to the Kashmir issue, saying his words have given the Kashmiri people encouragement.
President Erdogan’s message, he said, is aimed toward the promotion of dialogue among all parties to the dispute.
“This is that the only means of achieving a real and lasting peace during this volatile conflict,” Fai said, adding that the Kashmiri people have suffered too long.
“They demand and that they deserve peace,” he added.
Over 100 world leaders are participating in the UNGA debate face to face, with attendance within the assembly’s iconic hall scaled down as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the assembly on September 24 (Friday) through a video link.
