Turkish President Erdogan supports Pakistan's stance of having dialogue to resolve Kashmir dispute

He said the stability and prosperity of South Asia could not be separated from the Kashmir issue.

UNITED NATIONS, New York (Dunya News) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday urged for resolution of the longstanding Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India through initiation of dialogue process on the basis of justice and equity.

In his address at the UN General Assembly session in New York, Erdogan strongly criticised the international community for failing to address the Kashmir conflict, which, he said, awaits resolution for 72 years.

The president said the stability and prosperity of South Asia could not be separated from the Kashmir issue.

"In order for the Kashmiri people to look at a safe future together with their Pakistani and Indian neighbors, it is imperative to solve the problem through dialogue and on the basis of justice and equity, but not through collision," said the Turkish president.

"Despite the [United Nations Security Council] resolutions adopted, Kashmir is still besieged and eight million people are blockaded in Kashmir," he said.

"The invasions, conflicts and terrorist activities for almost four decades in Afghanistan have led to instability in the region," Mr Erdogan outlined.

Immediately after Erdogan’s remarks, Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked him on twitter for highlighting the issue of occupied Kashmir at the UNGA.

In a tweet, the premier stated: "I appreciate President Erdogan’s statement that the stability and prosperity of South Asia cannot be separated from the Kashmir issue."

I thank Turkey’s President Erdogan for raising the issue of IOJK in the UN General Assembly & calling for a solution to this long-standing dispute. Referring to the siege of IOJK, he pointed out that despite UN resolutions, 8 million people are stuck in IOJK.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 24, 2019

Earlier before the his speech in the UNGA, Prime Minister Imran Khan met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of 74th session of the UN General Assembly and discussed with him bilateral relations and the updated situation in occupied Kashmir since India’s illegal and unilateral moves on Aug. 5.

Recalling his visit to Turkey in January 2019, the PM expressed satisfaction that Pakistan-Turkey bilateral relations had transformed into a mutually beneficial strategic partnership, a statement issued by the PM Office stated.