NEW DELHI: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yet again raked up the Kashmir issue during his address at the United Nations General Assembly, prompting India to pay back in kind and call for Turkey to respect the UNSC resolutions on Cyprus.
“We maintain our stance in favour of solving the ongoing problem in Kashmir for 74 years through dialogue between the parties and within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions,” Erdogan said. Last year, too, he had made a reference to Kashmir in his pre-recorded speech at the UNGA.
Hours after his remarks, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Cyprus counterpart Nikos Christodoulides and stressed the need for Turkey to respect and adhere to the UNSC resolutions on Cyprus. “Working to take our economic ties forward. Appreciated his regional insights. Important that relevant UN Security Council resolutions in respect of Cyprus are adhered to by all,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.
The reference to the resolutions refers to the recognition of North Cyprus by Turkey, which came into being in 1974 when Turkey invaded the northern part of the country in response to a military coup on the island which was backed by the Greek government. Turkey is the only nation which recognises North Cyprus while the Republic of Cyprus is internationally recognised.
Erdogan, in his address, also referred to China’s Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and Myanmar’s Rohingya. “Within China’s territorial integrity perspective, we do believe that more efforts need to be displayed regarding the protection of the basic rights of the Muslim Uyghur Turks,” he said.