President Tayyip Erdogan Earns Gratitude From the People of Kashmir
Dr. Ghulam Nabi fai Chairman
World From for Peace & Justice
Washington, D.C. September 25, 2025
We are encouraged whenever someone speaks about the cause of Kashmir, but it is especially touching when they do so consistently over the years. Such unwavering commitment deserves the utmost appreciation from the nation of Kashmir. And that person is none other than President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of republic of Turkie.
The words of President Erdogan at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly have become source of inspiration and given hope to millions of hopeless people of the region. His statement at the United Nations General Assembly was the true reflection of the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. His reference to Kashmir is a statement of facts when he said, “The issue of Kashmir should be resolved on the basis of resolutions of the UN for the best for our brothers and sisters in Kashmir, through dialogue, we hope.”
Earlier, at the United Nations General Assembly on September 19, 2023, he said that “Other developments that will pave the way for regional peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia will be the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Kashmir through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan.” This statement was the source of great inspiration at a time when Kashmiris were facing existential threat, perhaps during the darkest days in the history of Kashmir.
President Erdogan merits recognition from the people of Kashmir for his statement, he made during the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2021. “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.”
Yet again at the 75th session in September 2020, he said, “The Kashmir conflict, which is also key to the stability and peace in South Asia, is still a burning issue. Steps taken following the abolition of the special status of Jammu & Kashmir further complicated the problem.”
Another time while addressing the 74th General Assembly, President said that a solution to the Kashmir issue, which has persisted for 72 years, can only be found through dialogue.
President Erdogan has been consistent and persistent with his vision of Kashmir when he said at UN General Assembly in 2019, “In order for the Kashmiri people to look at a safe future together with their Pakistani and Indian neighbors, it is imperative to solve the problem through dialogue and on the basis of justice and equity, not through clashes.” He added that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are “virtually under blockade with 8 million people, unfortunately, unable to step outside of Kashmir,” referring to an Indian government clampdown imposed on August 5, 2019.
To resolve the Kashmir conflict through dialogue and negotiation has been the consistent policy of Turkey during Erdogan’s administration and we remain deeply grateful. We remember that he also raised the issue at the 2022 General Assembly speech stating, “India and Pakistan, after having established their sovereignty and independence 75 years ago, they still haven’t established peace and solidarity between one another. This is much unfortunate. We hope and pray that a fair and permanent peace and prosperity will be established in Kashmir.”
While address the Parliament of Pakistan on 14 Feb 2020, he said “The troubles our Kashmiri brothers have suffered for decades have been exacerbated by the latest unilateral steps.” And again, “The Kashmir issue should be addressed according to the UN resolution through dialogue and keeping in mind the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.”
In May 2017 during an interview with WION television channel, he said “We should not allow more casualties to occur, and by strengthening multilateral dialogue, we can be involved, and through multilateral dialogue, I think we have to seek out ways to settle this question (Kashmir) once and for all.”
This was the most sensible, feasible and practical proposal put forth by the President of Turkey. The proposal at the time was seen rather unconventional but we believe that it would be a striking demonstration of the global statesmanship which the United Nations can summon in the cause of peace, international security and human betterment.
The vision of President Erdogan needs to be pursued by the United Nations – the engagement of a multilateral effort — one or two permanent members of the Security Council along with India, Pakistan, Kashmiri leadership and Turkey. Turkey can play an effective role in bringing parties together, being friendly to both India and Pakistan
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is also the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum He can be reached at: WhatsApp: 1-202-607-6435. Or gnfai2003@yahoo.com
www.kashmirawareness.org
