Türkiye's Communications Directorate holds panel on Security Council reform in Berlin

By Cuneyt Karadag

BERLIN (AA) - Türkiye's Communications Directorate on Friday organized a panel on UN Security Council reforms in Berlin.

The panel was moderated by the Washington director of the Ankara-based Political, Economic and Social Research Foundation (SETA), Bugra Kanat, and attended by panelists including academic Aylin Unver, Daria Isachenko from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and journalist Ewald Konig.

The session kicked off with a video message from Türkiye's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun.

Criticizing the UN for failing to develop concrete solutions to prevent major humanitarian disasters, especially in the post-Cold War period, Altun said the organization has been unable to fulfill its stabilizing function in the face of the developments in global politics and the change in power balances in the last 30 years.

"A new UN should be designed to protect international peace and security more effectively," he said, adding: Türkiye's offer for a solution is to adopt a perspective centered on changing the structure of the UN Security Council."

Konig said there is a need for restructuring the UN Security Council, which is losing its legitimacy. Continents are not represented and restructuring is "very important, but very difficult," he added.

Turkish academic Unver said the UN was ineffective in solving issues such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other challenges.

"The UN needs strong leaders ... Türkiye can make a contribution to this point, Unver said, adding: "We saw this in the grain crisis. The UN and Turkey have taken a kind of leading role."

In July, Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the UN signed a landmark agreement that cleared the way for exporting millions of tons of Ukrainian grain stuck due to Russia’s war, which began in February.

Isachenko said that besides the five permanent members (US, China, Russia, UK and France), some other countries are also against restructuring, particularly those who do not have good ties with the reformers.