Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertu\u011frulo\u011flu represented the TRNC at the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation\u2019s (OIC) Extraordinary Summit. The Summit, took place today in Istanbul and was attended by Foreign Ministers and Heads of States and Governments from OIC countries.
\nThe Summit was called to order by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan to discuss the OIC\u2019s stance on US President Trump\u2019s recent decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. During the event, TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertu\u011frulo\u011flu gave a speech to the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers and representatives present as well as observer member states. In his address, the Foreign Minister stated that the decision would not benefit either side in this regional conflict and emphasised that the reversal of President Trump\u2019s decision would serve to maintain peace within the region as a whole.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Minister\u2019s full remarks are below:<\/p>\n
“I would like to express my gratitude to\u00a0His Excellency the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan, for his decision to hold this important meeting as the incumbent president of the OIC.
\n\u201cThe world is living in a period in which politics is above the law. And unfortunately, this experience is a common experience between Islamic and non-Islamic societies
\n\u201cWhen politics comes into play over the holy city of Jerusalem, which is a place of significance for three world religions, the fear is that tensions in the region may evolve into a larger conflict.
\n\u201cIt is therefore surprising that both Muslim and Christian societies remain silent on this matter. The Jerusalem issue cannot be presented solely as a political question \u2013 it is both a religious and an existential issue for Muslims. However, on this matter of vital importance, the response of Muslim states has been insufficient \u2013 representatives of Muslim countries have not done justice to the gravity of this situation.
\n\u201cI speak as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for a state which is currently struggling for its own existence and recognition in this region.
\nThe same frustration that Muslim states have caused for us in our own struggle for existence has unfortunately manifested itself in Jerusalem. This disregard does not make anyone stronger. I did not expect this. However, this stance has unfortunately been seen in Jerusalem.
\n\u201cThis land is shared by everyone in the world who says \u2019I am a Muslim. This is something that all Muslims should honour.
\n\u201cI also wish to emphasise the following: Turkey is the only country in the Islamic World and the only leader who is engaging with this struggle fearlessly and sincerely, and
\nI think that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan\u2019s sincere efforts will be recorded in the annals of history.
\n\u201cIslamic countries must develop a real, sincere and collective solution in practice for our shared problems. Interventions of others in Muslim communities will not solve any problems \u2013 on the contrary, they will only exacerbate them. These tensions also create fresh opportunities for the rise of terrorist organizations. We must trust ourselves and act together.
\n\u201cFurthermore, President Trump\u2019s decision on the Jerusalem issue will neither benefit those who took the decision, nor will it benefit those who expect to gain from the decision. Reversing the decision immediately is what will bring prosperity to the region.
\n\u201cI want to stress once again that US President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is unacceptable, and I reiterate my request for the reversal of this decision.\u201d
\nFollowing the convening of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, the Extraordinary Summit will continue with further meetings between OIC Heads of State and Government.
\nForeign Minister Ertu\u011frulo\u011flu will also attend a luncheon following the summit, which will be hosted by Turkish President Erdo\u011fan in honour of the leaders present. Minister Ertu\u011frulo\u011flu will be accompanied by Foreign Ministry General Director Kemal K\u00f6pr\u00fcl\u00fc and is expected to return to the island today.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertu\u011frulo\u011flu represented the TRNC at the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation\u2019s (OIC) Extraordinary Summit. [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-headlines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141101\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pio.mfa.gov.ct.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}