Erdogan: Peace Impossible Without an Independent Palestinian State
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, stated that the root cause of tensions in West Asia is the Palestinian issue, emphasizing that as long as the occupation of Palestinian lands continues, sustainable peace in the region cannot be achieved. He described the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as a prerequisite for lasting stability.
Erdogan made these remarks on Monday at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Istanbul. According to him, the ongoing seizure of Palestinian territories by Israel is the main obstacle to achieving a political solution in the region.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the Turkish president considers the two-state solution the only practical option for ensuring peace, stressing that a fully sovereign and territorially contiguous independent Palestinian state, based on the 1967 borders, must be established.
In another part of his speech, Erdogan addressed NATO’s performance and criticized what he called a “double standard” against Turkey. He said that despite Ankara’s significant contribution and active participation, in some cases, the country’s security needs within the framework of European security are overlooked.
He also emphasized that Turkey seeks to participate in all European military and security initiatives and that sidelining the country’s military capabilities due to political considerations benefits no one.
The Turkish president added that his country, with strong armed forces, modern military equipment, and advanced defense industries, has been one of NATO’s influential allies in the security arena for over seven decades and has played an active role in the alliance’s missions.
