(Unofficial Translation into English)

Dear Palestinian Brothers,

I am very glad to extend a message to you in Nablus, five months after the “Middle East, North Africa and Eurasia” Conference of the World Economic Forum that we hosted in İstanbul, last June.

As I expressed in our İstanbul meeting, regional prosperity and happiness are linked with the peace and calm of our Palestinian brothers. And the key for peace and calm is the solution of the Palestinian issue. That’s why, your meeting today in Nablus with the support of the World Economic Forum is of utmost importance.

We assess that the application which will be submitted by the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of my friend and my brother Mahmud Abbas to the United Nations General Assembly in the coming weeks with a view to obtaining “non-member observer state” status as an important step on the way to the peace and calm of the region and we fully support it. Because we think that the international community has a debt in recognizing the state of our Palestinian brothers. We believe that it is high time to pay this debt which is due for the past 64 years. It is both the responsibility and the obligation of the international community to contribute with their yes votes in the UN General Assembly session in which the voting will take place to grant “state” status to Palestine. Those countries who will take action otherwise will feel sorry once again in front of the history.

We also closely follow the successful steps that our Palestinian brothers took in the economic field under all kinds of pressure, occupation and embargoes in the recent years. We think that, not only the West Bank, but East Jerusalem, the capital of the future State of Palestine and Gaza must not be neglected. International community,must not refrain in extending its aid and support especially to Gaza which was converted into the largest open air prison of the world and to our 1,5 million Palestinian brothers living there. All of us are aware of how the inhuman blockade which was also voted as illegal and decided by the UN Security Council to be immediately lifted has darkened the lives of our brothers there. We must also keep in mind that, the blockade, if continued, will harm those who implement it and who impose its implementation, more than the Gazans. Although we are apart, our hearts always beat with millions of Palestinian women and children who are subject to all kind of inhuman practices in Gaza.

Today’s meeting is a step for Palestine towards obtaining her deserved place among the international community. On this occasion, I would like to congratulate once again all our Palestinian friends who spent their efforts in organizing today’s meeting as well as to the directors of the World Economic Forum who extended their support and wish that the meeting will produce successful results.

God bless you.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Prime Minister of the Republic of Türkiye