President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia at the Turkevi Centre (Turkish House) in New York.
During the meeting, Türkiye and Malaysia discussed ways to advance bilateral relations based on a strategic partnership as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.
The two leaders also discussed the steps to be taken for cooperation in the defence industry and weighed the efforts carried out to meet Malaysia's needs in this sector.
Further, President Erdoğan posted the following statement on his social media account: "We met and exchanged remarks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia at the Turkevi Centre on the margins of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. May our talks contribute favourably to the enhancement of Türkiye-Malaysia relations."
Joint statement against discrimination and violence
Following the meeting, President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ibrahim issued a joint statement on "The Growing Acts of Hatred, Intolerance, Discrimination, and Violence Against Muslims and Their Sanctities."
The joint statement highlights that the two sides convened in New York on September 20 on the margins of the High Level Meetings of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, expressing grave concern that the escalating trend of hatred, intolerance, discrimination, and violence against Muslims and their sanctities in many areas of the world, notably in Europe, has reached alarming levels.
The annual coordination meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to be held in New York on September 21 will cover the topic of preventing the burning of copies of the Holy Quran, according to the statement, which also notes the emergence of a new type of racism characterised by xenophobia, negative profiling, and prejudice against Muslims.
The statement applauds the adoption of United Nations General Assembly resolution no. 76/254 on the declaration of March 15 as the "International Day to Combat Islamophobia," stressing that terrorism and violent extremism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nation, civilization, or ethnic group.
"We underline that such actions pose a threat to peace"
The statement said the leaders welcomed the urgent debate during the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in which the alarming increase in deliberate and overt acts of religious hatred, manifested by repeated desecration of the Holy Quran was discussed, and the resolution defining the desecration of holy books as religious hatred was adopted, and reminded the resolution on "Promoting Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance in Countering Hate Speech" adopted by the UN General Assembly on July 25.
The statement emphasised that all acts of violence against individuals on the basis of their religion or beliefs, as well as acts against their religious symbols, holy books, places of worship, religious sites, and temples, are in violation of international law, and the following was noted:
"We recall the resolution adopted at the 18th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on July 31, 2023, express concern over the intensification of the campaign to smear Islam, as well as the incitement to violence, acts of xenophobia, and related intolerance against symbols of the Islamic faith, and we emphasise that such acts of religious hatred, racism, discrimination, and xenophobia endanger the peace and foster a culture of violence."
"We strongly condemn populist discourse that encourages aggression"
"We strongly condemn recent incidents in some European countries in which copies of the Holy Quran were burned in the name of freedom of expression, as well as populist discourses that encourage abuse, hate speech, and aggression against Islam and Muslims," said the statement, which went on to say:
"We emphasise the critical role of high-level political commitment in ensuring the full and effective implementation of United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18, and we urge states to pay special attention to the importance of criminalising incitement to violence based on religion or belief, as well as to take immediate steps to ensure accountability. We reiterate the call contained in United Nations resolution 76/254 on strengthened efforts to stimulate global dialogue to promote a culture of tolerance and peace based on the richness of religions and beliefs and respect for human rights, and call on all relevant stakeholders, including governments, to step up efforts to address discrimination, xenophobia, racism, and hate speech in accordance with international human rights."
