Erdoğan says Türkiye ‘ready to take any step’ for peace in Gaza

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has used the global platform of the COP28 summit in the United Arab Emirates to urge for peace in between Israel and Palestine, expressing Türkiye's readiness to this end.

The U.N. climate talks in Dubai were joined by more than 170 world leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and presidents Emmanuel Macron of France, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt.

During his address, Erdoğan labeled Israel's actions in Gaza as "war crimes and crimes against humanity," calling for accountability under international law.

"Recent events have once again brought to light the critical nature of establishing an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital," said Erdoğan.

"As Türkiye, we are prepared to take on any and all responsibilities that come our way during this process."

In addition to addressing geopolitical concerns, Erdoğan outlined Türkiye's efforts in combating climate change.

"Utilizing our own resources, we are undertaking significant measures despite the fact that our historical contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is less than one percent," he stated.

Türkiye aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2053 and plans to increase the proportion of renewable energy to 69 percent by the same year, Erdoğan added.

Upon his arrival at the summit venue on Dec. 1, Erdoğan was welcomed by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres.

The summit aims to facilitate discussions on a range of topics, including environmental problems, energy, food security, health and policies to combat climate change. Erdoğan's office...