Turkey President discusses Uyghurs with his Chinese counterpart in phone call

Ankara [Turkey], July 14 (ANI): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday (local time) discussed situation of Uyghur Muslims during a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Expressing Turkey’s respect for China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, he underlined the importance of Uyghur Turks living in prosperity, freedom, and peace as “equal citizens of China”, reported Daily Sabah.

Uyghurs makeup around 45 per cent of the population in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region and have long been facing cultural, religious and economic discrimination.

Up to one million people, or about 7 per cent of the Muslim population in Xinjiang, have been incarcerated in an expanding network of “political re-education” camps, according to United States officials and United Nations experts.

Both leaders also discussed enhancing cooperation in many fields, including the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine development, reported Daily Sabah.

Recalling that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and China, President Erdogan expressed that they would like to celebrate these important anniversaries in a way befitting the deep-rooted relations between the two countries, reported Daily Sabah. (ANI)