Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again raked up the issue of Kashmir during his address at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly session despite India's staunch stand on the valley.
While addressing the world leaders at the UNGA on Tuesday, the Turkish President, who had recently visited New Delhi for the G20 Summit and had held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserted the issue of Kashmir should be resolved through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan. According to Erdogan, dialogue between the two Asian nations is crucial as it would pave the path of development.
"Another development that will pave the way for regional peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia will be the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Kashmir through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan," Erdogan said in his address to the General Debate.
"As Turkiye, we will continue to support the steps to be taken in this direction,” he added.
Erdogan's statement came despite India's tough stand on Kashmir issues
It is worth mentioning this was not the first time the Turkish leader raised concerns about Kashmir Valley on the global stage. Earlier in 2022, the Turkish President raked up the issue of Kashmir during his address to world leaders at the high-level UN General Assembly session.
“India and Pakistan, after having established their sovereignty and independence 75 years ago, still haven't established peace and solidarity between one another. This is very unfortunate. We hope and pray that a fair and permanent peace and prosperity will be established in Kashmir,” Erdogan had said.
Similarly, in 2020, Erdogan referred to the issue of Kashmir during the UNGA in a pre-recorded video statement. However, at that time, India had given a tough reply and called his statement “completely unacceptable”, saying Turkey should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.
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