President Erdoğan spoke at the Economic Cooperation Organization Leaders Summit
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech at the 16th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent.
President Erdoğan said: “We are going through a period when we are confronted with major challenges at a global scale. The wounds caused by the coronavirus pandemic in global economy and trade have yet to be healed. Afterwards, we came face to face with the destructive consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war, which erupted in our near geography. The inflation, triggered by the exorbitant hike in energy and food prices, reached the highest levels of the last six or seven decades, further aggravating the troubles. While we were seeking effective ways to cope with these difficulties, the conflicts that broke out on the Palestinian lands under occupation wounded our hearts.”
“WESTERN COUNTRIES JUST WATCH ISRAEL’S MASSACRES FROM A DISTANCE”
Noting that Israeli attacks on Gaza are in their 34th day, President Erdoğan stated: “Women and children account for 73 percent of the nearly 11 thousand Gazans brutally killed by Israel. The Israeli administration, fully supported by Western countries, continues to bomb schools, mosques, hospitals, universities and civilian settlements, infringing on all the values of humanity. We are faced with a fanaticism that legitimizes even the massacring of children.”
President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “Yet, the Western countries that always talk about human rights, freedoms and democracy just watch Israel’s massacres from a distance. These countries and entities are incapable of calling for ceasefire, let alone criticize murderers of children. Those who turn a blind eye to the burning of our sacred book, the Holy Quran, under the excuse of freedom of thought cannot even tolerate the Palestinian flag. Many more instances can be counted attesting to the hypocrisy we have been witnessing since October 7. The developments remind us of the fact that we as Muslims have to strengthen our unity. We continue our diplomatic efforts to achieve humanitarian ceasefire and prevent the spread of the conflicts.”
Drawing attention to Türkiye’s ongoing efforts to dispatch humanitarian aid to the region, President Erdoğan further stressed: “To date, we have sent 10 aircraft carrying over 230 tons of humanitarian aid to El-Arish Airport with the assistance of our Egyptian brothers. Our preparations are underway to send two civilian humanitarian aid ships to the region. An international meeting will be held in Istanbul on November 15 with the participation of the spouses of the heads of state and government under the auspices of my wife, Emine Erdoğan. A strong solidarity will therefore be displayed to alleviate our Gazan brothers and sisters’ suffering. The stance we as the Economic Cooperation Organization are to display is very important for the cessation of the bloodshed in Gaza. It is of utmost importance for us to raise our voice collectively to defend our Palestinian cause.”
