KEY POINTS
- Erdogan urges peaceful settlement of Kashmir dispute at UN General Assembly.
- Calls for dialogue based on UNSC resolutions and Kashmiri aspirations.
- Welcomes ceasefire after April clashes between India and Pakistan.
- Reaffirms Turkiye’s support for Pakistan during May escalation with India.
- Criticises India’s “nefarious attacks” and praises Pakistan’s restraint.
NEW YORK: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his support for a peaceful resolution of the decades-old Kashmir dispute, telling the UN General Assembly that the issue should be resolved in line with Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Erdogan stressed that the Kashmir dispute should be settled according to United Nations Security Council resolutions and the desires of the Kashmiri people.
“We advocate resolving the Kashmir issue through dialogue based on UNSC resolutions and the wishes of our Kashmiri brothers and sisters,” he said.
“In South Asia, we consider the preservation of peace and stability to be of utmost importance. We are pleased with the ceasefire achieved following the April tensions between India and Pakistan, the tension which had escalated into conflict,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention that in May this year, President Erdogan reaffirmed Turkiye’s continued support for Pakistan after the escalation with India, praising Islamabad’s restraint and commitment to peace.
“On the nefarious terror attack or missile attack against Pakistan, we have a very clear stance — we expressed our support to the Pakistani public,” Erdogan said in an address. He welcomed the ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and commended Pakistan’s “patience and common sense” in the face of Indian aggression.
Erdogan stated that “I congratulate… our Pakistani brothers and sisters for their patience and ‘common sense’ in responding to India’s ‘nefarious’ attacks.’
He added that Turkiye had made efforts to decrease tension in the region, which had reached a serious level. Erdogan noted that he spoke to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Tension between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 attack in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India swiftly blamed Pakistan without presenting any credible evidence.
Pakistan condemned the attack and strongly denied the Indian allegations. Pakistan also offered a neutral and transparent international investigation into the incident.
However, New Delhi did not respond to Pakistan’s offer and continued with its aggressive posture.
On the night of May 6-7, India launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties.
Pakistan responded firmly and downed five Indian fighter jets and destroyed a brigade headquarters and several military posts. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week.
On May 10, when tensions between the two countries peaked, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between India and Pakistan.
