SHOTLIST:

- NEW YORK, US (SEPTEMBER 22, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) TURKISH PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN SAYING:

"Honorable heads of state and government, Mr. Secretary-General, distinguished delegates, I greet you with my deepest respect and heartfelt salutations. First, I wish to express my gratitude to France and Saudi Arabia for co-chairing this conference.

I congratulate the countries that have decided to recognize the State of Palestine. I hope this step and the initiatives that follow will bring about and accelerate the implementation of a two-state solution.

For nearly two years in our region, a severe humanitarian catastrophe has been unfolding as a result of escalating attacks by the Israeli government. The massacre in Gaza, which has claimed more than 65,000 lives, continues with unabated brutality. No one who listens to their conscience can accept what is happening. Moreover, no one can remain silent in the face of such genocide. The aim of the Netanyahu government is to make the establishment of a Palestinian State impossible and to force the Palestinian people to migrate, if possible, in large numbers.

Against this backdrop, the decision by a group of countries — including members of the United Nations Security Council — to recognize the State of Palestine is extremely important and historic.

We had hoped that President Abbas of the State of Palestine could be with us today. Nonetheless, I find it extremely valuable that every speaker at this conference also serves as the voice of the Palestinian people. The fact is that the Palestinian cause has now become the concern of the whole world. The attendance in this hall is the best proof of that. We are witnessing slogans of “Free Palestine” in the streets, on social media and in the press in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa to a degree we have never seen before.

This contradiction should not escape anyone’s attention, including my friends here: the Netanyahu government, which governs a people that suffered the horrors of the Holocaust and was the target of attempted annihilation, is now inflicting genocide on its long-standing neighbors who share the same land, water, air and sea. Standing against this atrocity is not only a legal duty of the international community but also a moral responsibility. The international community must halt the (Israeli) expansionism in the West Bank, the fait accompli measures in East Jerusalem, and attempts to spread instability in the region. Otherwise, neither an international order nor the defense of universal values can be meaningfully spoken of.

The objective of deepening occupation and annexation policies is clear: to kill the vision of a two-state solution, to leave no ground on which a Palestinian State could survive, to exile the Palestinian people, and to realize expansionist ambitions in the region. This must never be allowed.

I hope that the countries that have shown the courage to recognize the State of Palestine will back this historic stance with determined, concrete and deterrent measures.

There must now be a ceasefire, unfettered access for humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Gaza is an integral part of Palestine and belongs to the Palestinians. The Palestinian people themselves will determine how they administer their own territory.

Dear friends, the time has come for Palestine to be a full member of the United Nations. It is important to strengthen Palestine’s national capacity, to enhance financial and technical support, and to sustain the operations of humanitarian organizations such as UNRWA. As Turkey, we will persist with determination in our struggle until a Palestinian State — founded on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and territorial integrity intact — is realized. From here I send my warmest greetings to my Palestinian brothers and sisters, especially the oppressed people of Gaza." NEW YORK, US - SEPTEMBER 22: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday hailed the recent decisions by a host of countries, including UN Security Council members, to recognize the state of Palestine as "quite important" and "historic."

Speaking at a UN conference on Palestine, Erdogan extended his congratulations to the countries that decided to recognize the state of Palestine and also voiced hope that these steps will speed up implementation of a two-state solution.

Israel’s massacre in Gaza continues with all its violence, and no one in touch with their conscience can remain silent in the face of such a genocide, he stressed, pointing to how the Palestinian cause today has become a truly global issue.

It is necessary now to declare a ceasefire in Gaza, ensure the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, and for Israel to withdraw its forces, Erdogan reiterated.

He also called on the international community to stop Israel's expanded settlements in the West Bank, attempts to force a fait accompli in East Jerusalem, and efforts to spread instability in the region.

The aim of Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu government is to make the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible, and to forcibly displace Palestinians as much as possible, the Turkish president said.

Netanyahu’s government, though coming from a society once victimized by the Holocaust, now commits genocide against neighbors it has shared land and water with for millennia, he added.

The clear goal of Israel's deepening occupation and annexation policies is to kill the vision of a two-state solution and exile Palestinians, stressed Erdogan, adding that this can never be allowed.