For the first time since 2019, Erdogan ignores mention of Kashmir in his UN speech | India News

We maintain our desire to develop our relations with the BRICS, which brings together emerging economies, he declared during his speech at the 79th UN General Assembly in New York.

BRICS founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa decided last year to expand the group. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became members on January 1, 2024. All members are expected to attend the BRICS leaders' summit in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to 24.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he expected Erdogan to attend the BRICS summit in Russia next month, after Turkey requested to join the group of emerging economies. Putin said he was due to meet Erdogan on October 23. If admitted, Turkey would become the first NATO member in the group.

Over the past five years, Erdogan has been the only head of state, besides the Pakistanis, to have raised Kashmir issue at UNGA.

In September 2019, Erdogan had spoken about the Kashmir dispute and that to ensure a secure future for the people of Kashmir, as well as their Pakistani and Indian neighbors, the dispute must be resolved through dialogue on the basis of justice and equity, rather than conflict. .

In his speech at the 2020 UNGA, he had said that the Kashmir issue, which is also the key to the stability of peace in South Asia, still awaits a solution, and Turkey is in favor of a resolution in the framework of UN resolutions, in accordance with UN resolutions. to the expectations of the people of Kashmir.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in 2021, Erdogan said Turkey maintains its position in favor of resolving the 74-year-old Kashmir problem, through dialogue between parties and within the framework of relevant resolutions of the United Nations.

In his 2022 speech, he mentioned India and expressed regret that peace and cooperation between India and Pakistan have still not been established, despite 75 years after their independence. We hope that just and lasting peace and tranquility will be achieved in Kashmir, he had said, without mentioning the UN resolutions.

Last year, in 2023, he had said that the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Kashmir through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan would pave the way for serenity, stability and regional prosperity in South Asia, and that Turkey would continue to support measures to be taken in this direction. This was the second year that he dropped reference to UN resolutions.

Addressing the 79th session of the UNGA on Tuesday, Erdogan said: It's not just children who are dying in Gaza; the United Nations system is also dying, the truth is dying, the values ​​that the West claims to defend are dying, humanity's hopes of living in a more just world are dying one by one.

Recalling that the United Nations was established to maintain international peace and security after World War II, during which millions of people lost their lives, Erdogan said: With the establishment of the United Nations, expectations for global stability, peace and justice have once again flourished. and hopes for peace were revived. However, we note with regret that in recent years, the UN has struggled to fulfill its founding mission and is gradually transforming into a dysfunctional, heavy and inert structure. We need the values ​​represented by the maxim The world is bigger than five, increasingly today.

We see that international peace and security are too important to be left to the whim of a privileged five, he said.

We are deepening our engagement with regional organizations, such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association, the Pacific Islands Forum and in particular ASEAN. We maintain our desire to develop our relations with the BRICS, which brings together emerging economies. We share a deep-rooted history with the countries of Central Asia; we are further strengthening our cooperation on bilateral and multilateral bases, Erdogan said.

India is a member of both the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the BRICS group.