Kurtulmus says ending Israeli aggression key to world peace

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday that ending the Israeli government's aggression in Palestine is essential for securing world peace, calling on NATO members and the international community to support peace initiatives during the opening of the NATO Parliamentary Summit in Istanbul.

Israeli aggression and Palestinian statehood

Speaking at the summit in Istanbul, Kurtulmus stated that there could be no lasting peace in the world without peace in the Middle East and no peace in the Middle East without peace for Palestinians. He reiterated Türkiye's support for establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, adding that there was no other way forward than a two-state solution. "The end of these acts of aggression by the Israeli government would not only allow Palestinians to attain peace and tranquility, but would also mean securing world peace," he said.

Regional diplomacy and mediation

Referring to the recent memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, Kurtulmus said negotiations that started in Switzerland offered hope for a lasting and just peace. "We hope that they will ultimately lead to a lasting and just peace, not merely a ceasefire, but a genuine peace settlement," he said. He also highlighted Ankara's previous mediation efforts, including facilitating the Black Sea Grain Initiative and multiple prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia.

NATO cooperation and defense spending

On defense cooperation, Kurtulmus noted that Türkiye had made significant progress in its defense industry and was prepared to share its capabilities with allies. He reaffirmed Ankara's commitment to the NATO target of allocating 5 percent of gross domestic product to defense spending and criticized defense industry embargoes imposed by some allies as "unilateral, meaningless and contrary to the spirit of the alliance." He said the world and NATO were at a "historic crossroads" and called for cooperation to help establish "a new, just and equitable world order."