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

ISTANBUL

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."

Mentioning how Türkiye opened the way for Finland's NATO membership before Sweden, after both applied in the wake of Russian launching a war on Ukraine in February 2022, Erdogan stated: "Our only condition was that there should be no movement regarding terrorism in Finland. We said that terrorism must be curbed there as soon as possible."

Finland joined the NATO alliance in April 2023 with the consent of all existing members, including Türkiye, a member state for over 72 years.

Stubb, for his part, said of Türkiye and Finland: "One of the similarities is the geographic challenges both countries face. Now we are allies in NATO as well. Both countries have significant military power."

"Türkiye truly serves as a bridge between the West and the East, and I believe Türkiye's role in a multipolar world is more important than ever," he added.

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