ISLAMABAD: President-elect of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir on Monday expressed his strong support for the longstanding dispute of Jammu and Kashmir, linking it with peace and stability of the South Asian region.

“The Jammu and Kashmir dispute needs to be settled through peaceful means,” the visiting UNGA dignitary said at a joint press stakeout with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi here at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The UNGA president-elect, who arrived in Islamabad on a two-day visit earlier in the day, said, the “meaningful engagement of political and diplomatic channels” was significant to resolve the issue in accordance with the resolutions of UN Security Council.

Bozkir, the first Turkish national to hold this position for 75th UNGA session, said Turkey’s position on Jammu and Kashmir was well-known and its foreign ministry had issued a strong statement over India’s action of August 5.

FM Qureshi mentioned that during his meeting with the UNGA president-elect, he briefed him about the evolving situation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) facing military siege for last one year, human rights violations, and illegal search and cordon operations.—APP