‘All issues must be resolved in line with UN decisions'

ANTALYA, Turkey

All unresolved disputes in the region must be resolved in line with UN Security Council resolutions, said a joint declaration by Turkey, Russia, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq on Thursday.

Turkey's Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop read out the joint declaration after the fourth conference of parliament speakers on combating terrorism and strengthening regional connectivity held in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

“We agree that all unresolved issues in the region, including the Jammu and Kashmir conflict, must be resolved in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions to ensure global and regional peace and stability,” said in the declaration that was agreed unanimously by the parties.

Sentop pointed out that inter-parliamentary cooperation has established dialogue channels that contribute to peace, security and development, play an important role in combating global challenges, preventing conflicts and resolving international disputes.

"We recall the commitments of all states to the implementation of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on international terrorism. We stress that all states should avoid politicizing the work of the United Nations sanctions regime and organizations such as the Financial Action Task Force," it said.

'No one is safe until everyone is safe'

Touching on the COVID-19 pandemic, Sentop said that the parties highlighted the importance of consultation on and non-discriminatory treatment of vaccines developed or produced by different countries.

"Since no one is safe until everyone is safe, we emphasized the importance of fair and affordable access to vaccines for all humanity, especially considering developing and least developed countries and vulnerable groups," he said.

He said they appreciate the invaluable efforts of governments that have supported other countries to increase their capacities and skills in combating the pandemic, adding they also encourage governments to strengthen solidarity and cooperation to contain the pandemic.

Stating that terrorism is a common threat to the whole world and that it requires a comprehensive common strategy and strong international cooperation to fight, he said the participants of the meeting also take into account the link between terrorism and organized crime.

"We underline that terrorism cannot and should never be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization, culture or ethnic group," he said, adding that they condemn any effort to ignore or legitimize terrorist organizations' actions aimed at the unity and territorial integrity of countries.

Sentop added that the speakers agreed to hold the next conference face-to-face in Russia in 2022.