The United Nations General-Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir has on Thursday said that the UN’s inaction on the issue of Palestine is hurting its credibility.
He was addressing a joint press conference alongside Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi today. The UNGA President has called upon India and Pakistan to pursue the path for peaceful resolution of the issue of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“Peace, stability and prosperity hinges on normalization of relations between Pakistan and India, which is possible by finding the two countries resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” he said.
“Inaction on the issue of Palestine, which is a grave matter, is damaging the credibility of the United Nations and the Security Council,” Bozkir said.
The UNGA President further added that it is hoped that the Security Council will also hear a collective vote on this important and necessary issue.
“Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in blatant human rights abuses,” Bozkir said. “Negotiations are urgently needed to establish two independent states. The UN General Assembly will not sit idly until peace is restored in the Middle East,” he added.
The UN leader also spoke about the Kashmir issue and said that he is well aware of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
“I know who a common Pakistani feels about the issue,” Volkan Bizkir added.
“I have always urged the parties to refrain from changing the status of the disputed territory. I urge India and Pakistan to work for a peaceful solution to this problem,” he said.
Commenting over Afghanistan Peace Process, Volkan Bozkir said that peace in the country is imperative for stability in the region.
“The Afghan peace process should be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led,” he said while appreciating Pakistan’s role in the peace process in Afghanistan.
The UNGA President also applauded Pakistan’s efforts in carrying the COVID-19 pandemic.
Note that Volkan Bozkir has arrived in Pakistan on a three-day official visit at the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
During his arrival, he was received by senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a UN representative in Islamabad and the Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul at the airport.
During his stay, Volkan Bozkir will have detailed talks with the Foreign Minister and call on the Pakistani leadership. The interactions will cover a wide range of political and socio-economic issues on the United Nations’ agenda.
Volkan Bozkır is the first Turkish national to preside over the UN General Assembly. He had visited Pakistan last year in August before taking the charge as the President of the UN General Assembly.
