New York, September 22 (ANI): Days after signing a trilateral mutual defense alliance with Islamabad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, where he echoed Pakistan’s position on Kashmir and called for dialogue.
The trilateral pact, known as the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, was signed in Mecca on August 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Addressing the assembly in New York, Erdogan raised the Kashmir issue.
“In South Asia, it is important that all disputes, including the Kashmir issue, be addressed through dialogue within the framework of the United Nations Charter and of relevant resolutions. Provided that constructive action is taken, all issues can possibly be resolved. And the same applies to tensions on the African continent also,” he remarked.
Erdogan’s remarks come just weeks after Ankara, Islamabad and Riyadh concluded the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a pact that effectively binds Turkey to Pakistan’s security orbit.
Under the Shimla Agreement, India and Pakistan have resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations.
India has repeatedly emphasized that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country.
India maintains that Pakistan has repeatedly undermined bilateral diplomacy by responding to peace overtures, from the 1999 Lahore Declaration to the 2015 Lahore outreach, with cross-border terror attacks. Following major incidents such as Kargil, 26/11, Pathankot and Pulwama, New Delhi has maintained that “talks and terror cannot go together,” placing responsibility on Islamabad for dismantling diplomatic frameworks.
Earlier on Tuesday, India responded to Pakistan’s claims regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued a statement during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi regarding an alleged pronouncement by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
“I would like to say that Pakistan has a habit of misrepresenting facts and propagating falsehoods to serve its malicious propaganda. For starters, the so-called ruling is not a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, as sought to be projected by the Pakistani minister. It is a ruling by an illegally constituted court. We see this as just one more attempt by Pakistan to distort reality. Our position on this issue is very clear, and we have reiterated it several times,” Jaiswal stated.
During the Turkish president’s address, the Israeli delegation abruptly walked out of the United Nations General Assembly hall, Al Jazeera reported.
Erdogan launched a strong condemnation of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, comparing the enclave to a modern concentration camp and accusing Israeli forces of “state terror.”
Expressing his grief over the toll on Palestinian children “as a father and as a grandfather who cherishes his children and grandchildren,” the Turkish leader leveled severe accusations against Israel’s military campaign.
Highlighting the human cost of the conflict, Erdogan told the assembly that “at least 74,000 people have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza over the past three years,” characterizing the offensive as “state terror.” (ANI)
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