Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan strongly raises Kashmir issue at the UN
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UNITED NATIONS: Turkey told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan was a "burning issue", and called for resolving it through dialogue.
"The Kashmir conflict, which is also key to the stability and peace of South Asia, is still a burning issue," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech he made via video-link to the 193-member Assembly’s landmark 75th session.
"Steps taken following the abolition of the special status of Jammu-Kashmir further complicated the problem," he said, referringto the August 5, 2019, unilateral move by India to annex the disputed territory.
"We are in favour of solving this issue through dialogue, within the framework of the United Nations resolutions and especially in line with the expectations of the people of Kashmir," the Turkish leader added.
The Kashmir dispute is on the agenda of the UN Security Council, which has adopted at least 11 resolutions since 1948 that call for an impartial plebiscite to determine the wishes of the people in the disputed state.
On Sunday, the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, which met in New York, voiced "deep concern" over the continued human rights violations by India in occupied Kashmir, and called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council to take steps to end those abuses.
