Diyar Guldogan
29 November 2022•Update: 29 November 2022
ANKARA
Türkiye on Tuesday expressed its strong support to Palestine.
"Palestine has always had a special place in the hearts of the Turkish people," Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said at a reception to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
"Türkiye has always stood by it in the just cause of the Palestinian people and sincerely displayed its solidarity on every platform and on every occasion. Our support will continue," he added.
In 1977, the UN General Assembly called for the annual observance of Nov. 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Donmez said establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital is a necessity for the security, peace and stability of the region.
"It is our most sincere desire for Palestine to take its rightful place as a sovereign and equal member in the international community. We will continue to support efforts in this direction," he added.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a message to commemorate the day, saying: “I am deeply saddened by the growing number of Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives in the spiral of violence engulfing the occupied West Bank."
Guterres urged all parties to take immediate steps to reduce tensions and break this deadly cycle, and called for ending the closures of Gaza.
"The long-standing drivers of conflict — including the ongoing occupation, settlement expansion, home demolitions and evictions — heighten anger, despair and hopelessness," he said.
Türkiye supports a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions that would ensure two states living side by side within secure and recognized borders.
