Türkiye’s greatest wish is to end the bloodshed in Gaza and to facilitate a lasting cease-fire, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said Monday.
Speaking at a trilateral meeting of the speakers of the parliaments of Türkiye, Pakistan and Azerbaijan in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, Kurtulmuş expressed hope for unhindered access to humanitarian aid for the Palestinians in Gaza and its reconstruction to heal the wounds of the Palestinians.
"Recent developments are promising, but Israel's unruly, aggressive, and expansionist actions over the past two years demonstrate the need for quite careful, meticulous, and close monitoring during this process.
"Therefore, all three countries, including the international community, must closely monitor developments, and all three countries must continue to contribute to establishing peace and stability in the region," Kurtulmuş said.
He also expressed concern that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government may revert to their familiar practices and return to genocide after the agreement is signed and the hostages are rescued.
In this regard, Kurtulmuş called on the international community to maintain its pressure in an unabated manner and ensure that peace becomes lasting.
The Parliamentary Group in Solidarity, which was established in April, would make intense efforts to support this process at the parliamentary level, he added.
Following the deliberations of the parliamentarians from the three countries, Kurtulmuş and his Pakistani and Azerbaijani counterparts Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Sahiba Gafarova, respectively, signed the Islamabad Declaration.
Parliamentarians from the three countries held positive and timely discussions on issues such as defense and security, sustainable development, climate change, and disaster resilience during their meetings, he highlighted.
Kurtulmuş also expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan and Pakistan for their support of the people of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
"I hope that we will increase our contacts and cooperation with" the TRNC and the TRNC parliament in the upcoming period, he said.
This meeting has once again demonstrated that Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Türkiye are "one nation, three different states," Kurtulmuş added.
