Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that peace and stability could not be restored in the region when Gaza was under blockade.

"Arabic countries should take more initiatives for solution of the problem through peaceful means," Erdogan said while speaking at the opening of the Third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum (TAC).

Erdogan said billions of dollars, which had to be spent for employment, production and poor people, were spent to armament because of unreal problems. "We face severe criticisms as we voice the problems and we say peace, stability and welfare. We face criticisms as we raise our voice for injustice and oppose to every kind of terrorism and state terrorism," he said.

Erdogan said, "Shall we remain silent against attacks on ships, which set out from Turkey, carrying activists of 32 different countries, and which were only loaded with relief materials. Shall I close my eyes against massacre of my 9 citizens in the international waters with terrorism and injury and maltreatment of 24 people from different countries. I visited all those injured one by one and saw their situation. Some of those injured are still under treatment in intensive care unit. Shall we remain silent against inhumane practices in Palestine? Won't this be approving state terrorism? Won't this be tolerance to unlawful acts?"

Erdogan said international community and international organizations condoned such kind of inhumane practices and encouraged them secretly, "this process can not continue so and should not. Peace and stability can not be restored when Gaza is under blockade. My government will never make concession from the principles we believe whatever they say to us," he said.

Erdogan said he expected Arabic countries to take more initiatives for the solution of the problem through peaceful means and noted that no country could restore peace and stability as a whole when Palestinian-Israel problem stayed there.

"We should boost alliances and exert more efforts in the name of peace. Neither me nor the government is after getting a role in the region. We believe that the sufferings, tragedies, unlawful acts and piracy give serious damages to all the countries in the region and the region itself," Erdogan said.


AA