By Janet Ekstract
NEW YORK- In his address to the 77th UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reiterated what he spoke about last year at the United Nations, that the UN needs reform in order to meet all global challenges. Erdogan commented: “It is imperative that we restructure the UN in line with its embracing characteristic, as an organization that can generate solutions for a fairer world order, and where common will is embodied on behalf of all humanity.” He added that the UN Security Council needs to be “more effective, democratic, transparent and accountable.” Erdogan said that if this happens that peace, justice and welfare could be restored.
Analysts and experts explain that what Erdogan would like to see is a more inclusive UN Security Council with Latin and African countries included in decision-making as well as other regional powers. As Erdogan made clear in his UN address: “We will continue to stress at every platform that the world is bigger than five and a fairer world is possible.” The Turkish leader also urged the world to support efforts his government is making for peace between Russia and Ukraine. As Erdogan commented: “As a result of our intense efforts with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, we have ensured that Ukrainian grain reaches the world via the Black Sea.” He added that the grain agreement that his government brokered with assistance from the UN “is one of the greatest achievements of the UN in recent years.”
In his address, the Turkish president emphasized his country’s efforts to solve global conflicts with its Mediation for Peace initiative. As Erdogan explained: “We take on a constructive role, sometimes as a mediator and sometimes as a facilitator in resolving conflicts breaking out in different regions from Europe to Latin America and to Africa.” He stressed that his government is making concerted efforts on bilateral and multilateral levels “to strengthen peace and stability in the Balkans and to solve disagreements by way of dialogue.”
Meanwhile, Erdogan stressed that his country will continue its efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine with an agreement that he said will be “based on Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence.” The Turkish leader added: “Together we need to find a reasonable, fair and viable diplomatic solution that will give both sides an honorable exit from the crisis.” He reiterated that the international community should support Turkish efforts for peace between Russia and Ukraine. In addition, Erdogan criticized Greece for what he said is its “persecution of migrants in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.” He said: “Greece is turning the Aegean into a graveyard of refugees with its unlawful and reckless pushbacks.”
Erdogan made reference to a three-year-old Syrian boy and other children who washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015 as evidence of Greek efforts to purposely reject refugees in Greek waters. To that end, he explained: “The refugee crisis cannot be solved by sinking the boats of innocents who set out to seek a better future, leaving them to die and by building walls on borders and filling concentration camps with people.” He called on Europe and the UN “to put an end to these atrocities that constitute crimes against humanity.” The Turkish leader reiterated: “We expect Greece to shun its politics of provocations and heed our calls for cooperation.” Global rights groups along with Türkiye continue to condemn Greece’s illegal practice of pushing asylum seekers back into Turkish waters and denying them entry. Erdogan also called on the international community to officially recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and to end the oppression of Turkish Cypriots.
The Turkish leader expressed his hope that the EU and international organizations will stop ignoring what he said are Greece’s “discriminatory and oppressive policies” against the Muslim Turkish minority. With regard to events in the Middle East, Erdogan said that a lasting solution must be found for the Syrian people based on what they want according to UN Security Council Resolution 2254. He remarked: “The ongoing deadlock increasingly threatens both the security and stability of our region and the territorial integrity of Syria.” He also called on countries not to support terrorist organizations under various guises. Erdogan reiterated that Turkiye is open to working with any country that wants to contribute to the security and welfare of the region. He added that his government is involved in trying to bring peace to Iraq. As Erdogan explained: “We want political unity and reconciliation in the country on the basis of Iraqi identity. This is the only way to promote welfare in a sustainable manner in Iraq and to prevent abuses by terrorist organizations.”
On Israel and Palestine, Erdogan said that Turkiye strongly supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that his government sees that as essential for lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. Erdogan commented: “As Turkiye, we are determined to continue to develop our relations with Israel for the sake of peace, stability and the future of ourselves, this country, the Palestinian people and the region.” He emphasized the need for the historical and cultural identity of Jerusalem to be respected and the need for Israel to stop illegal settlement activities in occupied lands. Erdogan added that the it’s crucial “to ensure the security of life and property of the Palestinians.” The Turkish president also said that security for North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean are a must and that his government will continue to work with Libya on “stability and prosperity.” He added: “Turkiye supports the efforts of the United Nations in this direction.” On Azerbaijan and Armenia, Erdogan commented: “We believe that it is still possible to sign a comprehensive peace agreement between the two countries in the shortest time possible.”
