Erdoğan: No silence on Palestinian cause amid bloodshed
KHANKENDI, Azerbaijan
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pledged on July 4 that countries in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) cannot abandon the Palestinian cause or remain silent as Israel’s current government turns the region into a "bloodbath."
"We can neither abandon Palestinian cause nor remain silent as the [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu government turns our region into bloodbath," Erdoğan said during the 17th ECO summit held in the Azerbaijani city of Khankendi.
Hosted by Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev, the gathering brought together leaders from the 10 ECO member states, alongside observers such as Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar and other officials.
It focused on recalibrating the organization’s vision for sustainable development amid the escalating impacts of climate change.
Erdoğan highlighted the urgency of regional stability and peace as essential for prosperity and development. The president condemned the attacks by Israel not only in Palestine but also targeting Iran, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, warning they threaten the future of the Middle East and beyond.
"We must all work together to stop the atrocities as soon as possible," he said.
The summit addressed a wide array of topics, including trade, transportation, environment and energy, with climate change emerging as the central theme for future cooperation among ECO nations.
“We are at the forefront of the regions where the negative effects of the climate crisis are most intensely felt. It is especially important during this period for all member countries to contribute to a sustainable development vision centered on climate change,” Erdoğan said.
"Türkiye is ready to share its strong experience and best practices with our organization."
His remarks came as the Turkish parliament passed the country's first comprehensive legal regulation on climate change to lay out legal and institutional framework on July 2.
The bill proposed by Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) outlines the key objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, implementing climate adaptation measures and establishing a structured legal framework for climate policy.
It includes definitions for terms such as climate justice, climate finance, net zero emissions, fair transition and carbon credit.
Under the law, public institutions, businesses and individuals are required to comply with regulations enacted in the public interest. The Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry’s relevant unit is authorized to oversee the system, including coordinating institutions, monitoring developments and establishing carbon pricing mechanisms.
