Turkish President Erdogan calls for more countries to recognize state of Palestine

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called for more countries to recognize the state of Palestine as a matter of great importance.

"Since Oct. 7 (2023), nine countries have recognized the state of Palestine. We reiterate our call to the countries that have not yet done so to recognize the state of Palestine," Erdogan said during a news conference with his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb, who is visiting Türkiye at Erdogan’s invitation.

Erdogan said recognition of the Palestinian state has "great" meaning and importance "in this environment where international organizations responsible for ensuring peace and security are ineffective."

Türkiye has long championed recognition of the state of Palestine, a push that gained more impetus among Israel’s nearly year-long offensive on 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, destroying their homes and blocking humanitarian aid, displacing them repeatedly, and killing over 41,000 and injuring over 96,000.