UNITED NATIONS: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called or resolving the decades-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan on the basis of United Nations resolutions when he addressed the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
“We maintain our stance in favor of solving the ongoing problem in Kashmir for 74 years, through dialogue between the parties and within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions,” he said in the course of a wide-ranging speech to the 193-member Assembly.
Over 100 world leaders are participating the debate in person, with attendance in the Assembly’s iconic hall scaled down as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the 193-member Assembly on Sept. 24 through a video-link.
President Erdogan has consistently raised the Kashmir dispute at the annul sessions of the UN General Assembly. At the 75th session, the Turkish leader said, “The Kashmir conflict, which is also key to the stability and peace in South Asia, is still a burning issue. Steps taken following the abolition of the special status of Jammu & Kashmir further complicated the problem.”
His espousal of the Kashmir cause has evoked strong protests from India, which claims that Jammu and Kashmir is it’s “internal matter” Meanwhile, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum, an advocacy group, welcomed President Erdogan’s reference to the Kashmir issue, saying his words have given the Kashmiri people encouragement.
President Erdogan’s message , he said, is aimed at promotion of a dialogue among all parties to the dispute. “This is the only means of achieving a genuine and lasting peace in this volatile conflict,” Fai said, adding that Kashmiri people have suffered too long. “They demand and they deserve peace,” he added.