The Turkish Grand National Assembly speaker, Numan Kurtulmuş, met on Monday with the Spanish Congress of Deputies speaker, Francina Armengol Socías, in a meeting between the parliaments of the two countries that underlined common positions on the crisis in Gaza, the recognition of the Palestinian state and the expansion of bilateral cooperation in multiple areas.
The meeting, held behind closed doors at the Turkish parliament, was followed by a joint press conference between the two presidents. Kurtulmuş stressed during the meeting that Turkey and Spain have similar views on numerous international issues, especially in relation to the war in Gaza; in this context, he praised Spain’s stance on the Palestinian issue, recalling its decision in 2024 to recognise the State of Palestine and its continued support for the so-called two-state solution.
“The President of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol Socías, and I had a very productive meeting in our honourable Grand National Assembly,” Kurtulmuş said in a statement published in Turkish and Spanish on his official account on X. “There is an extraordinarily positive agenda between Turkey and Spain. During our meeting, we mutually confirmed the great potential to further strengthen our strong relations in all fields,” he said.
“Especially in the face of the genocide that continues in Gaza despite the ceasefire, the stance taken by the government and people of Spain is truly admirable. Spain, by recognising the State of Palestine in 2024, has proclaimed to the whole world its firm commitment to the values of conscience. I take this opportunity to express once again my gratitude to the Spanish people, represented in the person of my esteemed counterpart, Ms. Socías,” added Kurtulmuş.
“In our meeting we also underlined our determination to further strengthen our existing relations by using the tools offered by parliamentary diplomacy,” concluded the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in his social media message.
Growing ties between Spain and Turkey
During the joint press appearance, Kurtulmuş stressed that there is a positive agenda between the two countries and recalled that the president of the Spanish Senate visited Turkey ten years ago. According to news agencies, Kurtulmuş also assured that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have very good bilateral relations.
The Turkish parliament speaker further stressed that Spain and Turkey have strong ties in areas such as trade, defence, industry, energy and the maritime sector, as well as in tourism, education and culture; Kurtulmuş also pointed out that Turkish Airlines flights to Spanish cities contribute to further strengthening relations between the two countries.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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