Turkish President Erdogan to Address High-Level Conference on Palestinian Statehood at UN

Kokcha News Agency – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will speak at a high-level conference on Palestinian statehood on Monday, September 22, during the UN General Assembly in New York. The conference, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, aims to revive the long-stalled “two-state solution,” which envisions an independent Palestinian state coexisting with Israel within secure and recognized borders.

Before departing for New York on Sunday, Erdogan highlighted the significance of this year’s General Assembly, noting that many countries are expected to announce their recognition of the state of Palestine. “We hope these decisions to recognize Palestine will add momentum to the implementation of the two-state solution,” Erdogan said.

Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal officially recognized Palestine on Sunday, with several other nations expected to follow suit during the high-level meeting. French President Emmanuel Macron is also anticipated to announce France’s recognition of Palestinian statehood during the conference.

Despite the U.S. refusing to grant Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend the General Assembly in person, the UN overwhelmingly adopted a resolution allowing Abbas to address the summit via video link.

In 2012, Palestine was granted non-member observer state status at the UN, and the UN Security Council recently voted to allow the Palestinian observer to participate in discussions on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. However, full UN membership for Palestine still requires approval from the Security Council, where the U.S. holds veto power.