Turkish president to highlight Gaza war in 14th address to UN General Assembly

By Ferdi Turkten

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the 14th time on Sept. 24, with a focus on devastating Israeli attacks on Gaza.

According to the information compiled by Anadolu, Erdogan attended the 60th UNGA for the first time in 2005 as a prime minister.

In his address to the UNGA, Erdogan said: “Above all, it is in the common interest of humanity to have a more active and more resilient UN organization that renews itself, is more democratic and transparent, has the ability to represent the common will of all members, is the ground for the resolution of international conflicts, is seen as the guarantee of world peace, and whose dignity is glorified by all its members.”

In 2007, Erdogan addressed the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly, emphasizing the fight against terrorism.

Erdogan said: “An act of terrorism in any corner of the world is a crime against humanity that targets us all. I condemn terrorism that knows no borders, and as the prime minister of a country that has personally experienced the painful experience of terrorism, I reiterate my call for solidarity and more effective cooperation in the fight against this threat to all humanity.”

At the 64th UNGA, which he attended in 2009, Erdogan drew attention to the need to reform the structure of the UN.

Stating that the effectiveness of the UN should increase in order to establish a fair and participatory global order, Erdogan said: “We believe that a democratic, transparent, fair and effective United Nations with strengthened representativeness will contribute more to global peace and stability. The United Nations should become a more effective institution on climate change, sustainable development, fight against poverty, equality between men and women, human rights and protection of human dignity. We fully support reform initiatives to this end. But reform to the United Nations system cannot be considered a success unless the Security Council is also reformed.”

Discussing regional issues at the 66th UNGA in 2011, Erdogan discussed the challenges in Syria, Libya, Somalia, and Palestine, and noted that the unjust occupation of Azerbaijani territories for years must end.

“It is never acceptable for the Karabakh conflict to remain unresolved in this way, and it is the political and moral responsibility of all of us to find solutions to international problems before they become gangrenous.”

The Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions in 1991.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.​​​​​​​

- 'The world is bigger than five'

Erdogan addressed the 69th UNGA in 2014 for the first time as president, calling for UN reform.

“The world is bigger than five,” Erdogan said, explaining: “Without further delay, before more oppressed and innocent people lose their lives, before the global conscience is wounded more, the United Nations must weigh in on the problems. I would like to emphasize that the world is bigger than five. The fact that the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council neutralize the United Nations in a way that is incompatible with the realities of the world is not a situation that the global conscience can accept. All the decisions taken are between the two lips of one country. If it says 'no' then no, if it says 'yes' then action can be taken. While more than 2,000 innocent people have been massacred in Palestine in just a few months, the United Nations has failed to produce the expected solution. While more than 200,000 people have been massacred and nearly 9 million people have been displaced in Syria for 4 years, the United Nations has again failed to provide effective solutions.”

- 'The greatest success against ISIS'

Erdogan's speech at the 72nd UNGA in 2017 highlighted Syria and the fight against terrorism.

“Türkiye is engaged in a fierce fight against the region's bloodiest terrorist organizations such as ISIS and PKK, which feed on the instability in Syria and Iraq. In addition, our fight against the FETO terrorist organization, which attempted to change the legitimate, democratic regime of our country with a bloody coup, continues,” Erdogan said, emphasizing that the Euphrates Shield Operation launched in northern Syria is the biggest success achieved against ISIS since the invasion of the region.

At the 73rd UNGA in 2018, Erdogan criticized the UN and raised the Palestinian issue.

“It is a fact that the United Nations has moved away from meeting the expectations of humanity for peace and prosperity,” Erdogan said, adding that the UN Security Council has become a structure that serves only the interests of the 5 veto-wielding members and remains a spectator to the atrocities in other parts of the world.

“The massacres in Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, Myanmar in the past, Myanmar in recent history and Palestine today have all taken place in front of the eyes of the United Nations Security Council. The efforts of those who do not speak out against the persecution of the Palestinians ... only increase the courage of the oppressors. Even if the whole world turns its back, we, as Türkiye, will continue to stand by the oppressed Palestinians and defend the historical and legal status of Jerusalem, our first Qibla.”

- Irregular migration and plight of immigrants

At the 74th UNGA in 2019, Erdogan explained the problem of irregular migration with the example of “baby Aylan.”

Showing the photo of Aylan, who became the symbol of the irregular migration issue with his tiny body washed up on the beach in Mugla's Bodrum district, Erdogan said: “The world has unfortunately forgotten very quickly the millions of oppressed people whose journeys to save their lives ended either in the dark waters of the Mediterranean or in front of the wire fences stretched across the borders. Especially as you can see here, the world forgot the baby Aylan very quickly. Do not forget that one day the same situation may happen to you. Because Aylan babies are not one, but thousands, millions, we have to take precautions against all these.”

Erdogan drew attention to the Palestinian problem with a visual depicting the change in the map of Palestine since 1947 and made the following assessments: “I wonder, where is this Israel? I wonder what Israel's territory covers? Where was Israel in 1947, then where was Israel in 1949, 1967 and where is Israel now? Look, the year 1947, there is almost no Israel here, it is all Palestine. In 1947, there was a partition plan and Palestine is shrinking and Israel is growing. I come to 1967, Israel is growing, Palestine is shrinking. And here we are today, the current situation: There is almost no Palestine anymore, almost all of it is Israel... Is Israel satisfied? No, it is not satisfied. Israel is now trying to take the rest. Well, there are so many resolutions taken by the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations against Israel, are these resolutions being implemented? No, they are not. Well, then, what is the United Nations for? If we cannot be effective with the decisions we take under this roof, where will justice be centered? Here is our problem.”

- Video conference due to pandemic

The 75th UNGA was held via video conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the whole world in 2020.

Erdogan delivered his 10th address to the UNGA via video conference.

Reiterating his criticism of the structure of the UN, Erdogan stated: “Multilateral organizations, especially the United Nations, need reform. We have seen how ineffective the existing global mechanisms have been in this crisis. So much so that it took weeks or even months for the Security Council, the most fundamental decision-making body of the United Nations, to put the pandemic on its agenda. At the beginning of the pandemic, a scene emerged where countries were left to their own devices. Thus, we have once again seen the rightness of the thesis 'The world is bigger than five', which I have been insistently expressing from this rostrum for years. The fate of humanity cannot be left to the whim of a limited number of countries. In order to prevent the loss of credibility in international organizations, we must first review our mentality, institutions and rules.”

In his speech at the 76th UNGA in 2021, Erdogan drew attention to the disasters caused by the temperature rise in different parts of the world. Pointing out that there are unusual events such as floods in Asia and Europe, hurricanes in America, drought in Africa, fires in Mediterranean countries, rain at the summit of Greenland and snow in deserts, Erdogan said: “These disasters not only damage the environment and the ecosystem, but also threaten people's safety of life and property. In many places, people are preparing to move to other places and migrate en masse. However, the world has yet to find a solution to the refugee problem caused by conflict-induced crisis regions such as Syria and Afghanistan. At a time like this, it is unclear how to deal with migrations of hundreds of millions based on such factors as drought, food shortages and weather events.”

- Russia-Ukraine war

Referring to the developments related to the Russia-Ukraine war at the 77th UNGA, Erdogan explained Türkiye's efforts regarding the Black Sea grain corridor and the negotiations between the parties.

Showing a photo of a ship carrying grain under the agreement in the Bosphorus, Erdogan said: “As a result of our intensive efforts with the (UN) secretary-general, we have ensured that Ukrainian grain reaches the world through the Black Sea. As the second month of the Istanbul Memorandum, which led to this development, is coming to an end, we are pleased to see that shipments are gaining momentum day by day. This agreement is one of the greatest achievements of the United Nations in recent years, as it is critical to ensuring the sustainability of grain supplies. It has reaffirmed the confidence of those around the world who look to the international community for help. The Istanbul Memorandum also proved that negotiations yield results on issues of vital importance to the parties.”

- 'We invite international community to recognize independence of TRNC'

Erdogan continued to criticize the UN at the 78th UNGA held last year. Sharing his thoughts on issues such as the fight against terrorism, Islamophobia and racism, Erdogan also touched upon the Russia-Ukraine war, the Palestinian issue and developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Regarding the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Erdogan said: “We invite the international community to recognize the independence of the TRNC and to establish diplomatic, political and economic ties with this country.”

Erdogan also stated: “We expect the UN Peacekeeping Force on the island to respect impartiality. We do not want this force, whose reputation has been damaged, to face a new loss of reputation in Cyprus.”

Stating that Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory, Erdogan said: “We have supported the negotiation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia from the very beginning. However, we see that Armenia has not been able to utilize this historical opportunity sufficiently. We expect Armenia to fulfill its promises, especially the opening of the Zangezur Corridor. As everyone now recognizes, Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory. The imposition of a status other than this will never be accepted.”

- Israel's attacks on Gaza

President Erdogan will address the 79th UNGA for the 14th time on Sept. 24, and the main agenda item of his speech will be Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Erdogan will call on the international community to stand against Israel's attacks. The president will also hold meetings with heads of state and government during the summit.​​​​​​​

Erdogan is expected to speak on the first day of the 79th UN General Assembly session.

*Writing by Efe Ozkan