Parliament speaker holds talks with world leaders

ASHGABAT

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş engaged in a series of high-level discussions in Turkmenistan with several global leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Kurtulmuş also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

In his meeting with President Putin, the Russian leader expressed anticipation for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to the BRICS summit scheduled for Oct. 22-24 in Kazan, Russia, and confirmed plans for a bilateral meeting with Erdoğan during the summit.

During discussions with President Zardari, Kurtulmuş exchanged perspectives on the bilateral relations between Türkiye and Pakistan. They also addressed the situation in the Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza, Israel’s current military actions in Lebanon, and various global and regional issues.

Separately, at an international forum in Turkmenistan, Kurtulmuş advocated for the creation of a new global system, emphasizing the need for regional cooperation in light of Israel’s recent military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.

Speaking at a forum in Ashgabat, which marked the 300th anniversary of the Turkmen poet and thinker Magtymguly Pyragy, Kurtulmuş emphasized: "With our material and spiritual resources, youthful population, and the strategic advantage of our geographic location, we must first mobilize regionally and then globally to forge a just international order."

Referring to the situation since October 2023, he stated, "The ongoing violence perpetrated by the current Israeli regime, which flouts international law, threatens regional stability and deeply affects communities, particularly within the Turkish-Islamic world." He stated that over 42,000 individuals have been killed and around 98,000 injured since the Israeli offensive began on Oct. 7, 2023.

Kurtulmuş criticized the existing international structures and institutions, describing them as an unsustainable burden on the world.

"The existing international structures have become unsustainable burdens for the world. In the forthcoming era of a multipolar world, it is crucial, along with our allies here—particularly from the Turkish-Islamic realm—to assert the necessity for a new global order, encompassing fresh institutions, principles, and sanctions, and to intensify our efforts towards these goals," he said.

The forum was hosted by Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhammedov and attended by many world leaders.