Erdogan to Engage with Leaders of 45 Nations Abstaining in UN Vote on Gaza

14 November 2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to engage in telephone discussions with leaders of the 45 countries that abstained in the UN General Assembly vote on the ceasefire resolution in the Middle East. Additionally, Erdogan plans to converse with counterparts from countries that were neutral in the Gaza crisis but had supported Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. According to the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper, Erdogan will emphasize African nations during these talks.

 

Returning from an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Saudi Arabia on November 11, Erdogan expressed his intention to intensify diplomatic phone calls to address the Israel-Palestine conflict. He highlighted that the UN resolution on Gaza was supported by representatives of 121 countries, illustrating that Israel and its supporters remained in the minority.

 

During these upcoming diplomatic calls, Erdogan aims to stress conversations with African countries and plans discussions with the leaders of Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, Finland, Estonia, and Ukraine. The Turkish leader intends to remind these nations that Turkey played a crucial role in alleviating food crises through its initiative to establish a grain corridor. Erdogan will ask countries that supported Ukraine in its conflict with Russia not to remain silent on the issue of Palestine. Turkey supported the adoption of the UNGA resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement on October 27 and offered to act as a guarantor in resolving the conflict, suggesting an international peace conference.

 

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic World"

Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation

Based on materials from TASS