SRINAGAR: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday referred to Kashmir in his address at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, expressing satisfaction over the ceasefire reached between India and Pakistan after a flare-up earlier this year, reports appearing in media 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 tensions last April between Pakistan and India, the tension which had escalated into a conflict,” Erdogan told world leaders during the General Debate.
He said his country hoped for dialogue-based solutions to the long-standing dispute. “The issue of Kashmir should be resolved on the basis of resolutions of the UN for the best for our brothers and sisters in Kashmir, through dialogue, we hope,” he remarked. Erdogan also underlined the importance of counter-terrorism cooperation between India and Pakistan, describing it as vital for regional stability.
The reference to Kashmir continues Erdogan’s pattern of highlighting the issue in his annual UNGA speeches, barring last year, when he made no mention of it.
The ceasefire he welcomed came in the wake of Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7 against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territory following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The strikes triggered four days of fierce clashes before both sides agreed on May 10 to halt military action.
