President Erdoğan: "We are exerting tremendous effort to ensure that Israel's crimes against humanity and war crimes are not overlooked in the international arena."
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan greeted the participants and expressed his gratitude for the invitation in a video message he sent to the 5th General Assembly of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) held at a hotel in Şişli.
Wishing the General Assembly to be a success and yield auspicious results for the youth, the entire Islamic world and humanity, President Erdoğan welcomed the guests who arrived in Türkiye from all over the Islamic world on the occasion of the forum.
President Erdoğan noted that they initiated the Youth Forum in 2004 together with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and added, "Thanks to the dedicated efforts of him and his team, it is gaining recognition and becoming increasingly well-known."
President Erdoğan stated that they are closely monitoring the activities of the ICYF for Muslim youth across a vast geography, spanning from Asia to Africa, from the Americas to the Arabian Peninsula.
"As Türkiye, we stand in full solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the face of these attacks"
President Erdoğan commended the Forum for its extensive efforts in empowering Muslim youth to develop self-confidence and thrive in the economic, cultural and social fields and added:
"We have once again observed how vital it is for you to act together as Muslim youth during the massacres that have been taking place in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories since October 7th. In front of the entire world, Israel's occupying forces have brutally martyred 28 thousand Palestinian brothers and sisters, the majority of whom were children and women. As a result of Israeli bombardments that directly targeted civilians, more than 67 thousand Palestinian innocents have been injured." Emphasising how places of worship, schools, hospitals and all kinds of civilian infrastructure were the targets of Israeli hostilities in a manner reminiscent of Nazi attacks, President Erdoğan went on to state:
"As Türkiye, we stand in full solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the face of these attacks. We have taken numerous initiatives, including delivering humanitarian supplies and transporting cancer patients to our country for treatment. We are exerting tremendous effort to ensure that Israel's crimes against humanity and war crimes are not overlooked in the international arena. We maintain diplomatic contacts with Islamic countries in order for them to react and act collectively in response to Israeli atrocities in Gaza. We shall continue to struggle until the occupation policies and massacres in Palestine are ended and an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity and Al-Quds as its capital is established on the basis of the 1967 borders."
President Erdoğan expressed appreciation for the steadfast and active stance of the ICYF on the Palestinian cause while requesting that the participants convey his greetings to their respective countries.