Istanbul: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Canakkale, titled “ Summit for Peace”, at the Congress Center in Istanbul yesterday.
A number of heads of state and governments attended the event.
Welcoming world leaders to the symbolic summit as part of centenary commemorations of the 1915 Battle of Canakkale (Dardanelles), Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on them to strive for peace.
“Through this summit, we wanted to give one message to the world. We might have experienced wars a century ago, but it is high time to build for peace after a century,” he said.
“Let us give up the language of hatred, take lessons from history and tell the new generation about peace, in order not to experience similar wars again.”
Speaking on the occasion, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “Palestinian-Israeli tension is still the greatest obstacle to achieving lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. We will continue to support the Palestinian cause until the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands ends, and the solution of this issue would not be possible if a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is not established “.
On the sidelines of the event, the Emir met the Turkish president, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key.
He also attended a dinner banquet hosted by Erdogan for the dignitaries who had arrived for the commemorative events.
QNA
