Turkey urges common will for sustainable development

By Hatice Senses Kurukiz

ISTANBUL

Turkey has urged its partners in MIKTA -- a term used to refer to the partnership between Mexico, Italy, Republic of Korea, and Australia -- to form a common will on sustainable development that will be "a model for the world".

"We as MIKTA should take a global responsibility and develop a joint stance to find peaceful ways to solve the problems," Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman said as he addressed the third parliament speakers’ meeting of MIKTA in Istanbul.

"These five countries, which are strong actors in their regions, can contribute significantly to regional and global peace and stability...," he told the gathering.

The first such meeting of the parliamentary leaders was held in 2015 in the South Korean capital, Seoul.

Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia formed their association in 2013.

Thursday's meeting will discuss the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and the role of national parliaments, Kahraman said.

"The issue of sustainable development, which is of particular concern to the future of the world and humanity, will certainly be high on the agenda in the upcoming years."

He argued that peace and security could not be ensured without sustainable development.

Therefore, he said, relations between humanitarian aid and sustainable development, as well as the role of migrants at achieving sustainable development, and fighting against terrorism should be handled together.

"We are not exempted from security risks and humanitarian crisis, and other problems all around the world," Kahraman said.

"Terrorism, when compared to past, has reached a great number of weapons, financial and human sources. They can also be globally active."

He said no country had the chance to be indifferent to terrorist organizations.

"We have to improve international cooperation against terrorism," he said and asked MIKTA partners to support Turkey in its fight against terrorism.