President Erdogan: We Do Not Bow To Zionist Persecution For Gaza, We Suspended Trade Relations With Israel
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made important statements at the 40th COMCEC Meeting and announced the complete suspension of trade with Israel against the human tragedy in Gaza. Erdoğan emphasized that by sacrificing the trade volume of 9.5 billion dollars, they are working to hold genocide criminals accountable to international law. At the meeting, Erdoğan said that Muslims had a year of bloodshed, 50 thousand Palestinians were martyred and hundreds of thousands were wounded, and criticized that Western countries only watched this situation.
“Even while we are holding this meeting, our children are dying in Gaza and Lebanon. For 13 months we have witnessed the brutal attacks of the occupying forces. The lions of Gaza resist heroically and do not compromise their honor.” Praising the resistance of the people of Gaza, Erdoğan said that Palestinians did not step back from their will for freedom despite the difficulties.
“Turkey is taking a decisive stance”
Stating that Turkey is the country that has delivered the most humanitarian aid to Gaza, Erdoğan said that they have sent over 85 thousand tons of aid material. Stating that they have taken a decisive stance against Israel, the President said that they are against this genocide on international platforms. “We do not bow to the threats of Zionist lobbies. We have completely stopped commercial transactions with Israel. We are making every effort for international law to work,” Erdoğan said.
Erdogan also said he believes member states should give more support to Palestine in response to Israel’s decision to ban the agency. “The best response to Zionist attacks is for more states to recognize Palestine. I reiterate my call for all countries to recognize the state of Palestine,” he said, emphasizing solidarity and unity.
Global Economy and Joint Projects
Referring to the challenges in the global economy, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of cooperation. He pointed out that the problems in energy, supply security and supply chains have negatively affected global trade in recent years. “The way to overcome this pessimistic picture that challenges us all is to strengthen cooperation. We can stimulate growth and contribute to accelerating the global recovery,” he said.
Erdoğan also drew attention to the threats in cyber security and invited member states to develop joint projects. “We must be more careful about cyber attacks and data breaches. The terrorist acts in Lebanon have shown us the importance of this need,” he said. He also emphasized digital payment systems and digitalization of Islamic finance, noting that they aim for fairer and more accessible financial systems.
Expressing his satisfaction with the activation of the COMCEC Arbitration Center, Erdoğan stated that they aim to increase the volume of trade through the COMCEC SME program. “We have achieved great successes in 40 years of cooperation. We will carry these achievements even further in the coming years,” he concluded the meeting.
