Peace agreements concerning the Gaza Strip are not being implemented, and this is only fuelling further hatred and hostility. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye made these remarks during his address at the international TRT World Forum.
The Turkish leader stated, “Unfortunately, the peace agreement on Gaza is not being implemented, despite the considerable efforts we made to secure its signing. The principle of honouring commitments, which forms the foundation of international relations, is not being put into practice. Everyone must understand that no problem can be resolved in this way. Everyone must recognise that this only further fuels an atmosphere of hatred and hostility.”
Stating that “the greatest genocide of our time is taking place in Gaza”, Erdoğan said, “Since October 2023, 75,000 people have been brutally killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, most of them women and children. A further 176,000 people have been injured.”
The Turkish President also drew attention to “an extremely striking and shameful reality” concerning the deaths of media professionals in the Middle East. Erdoğan said, “More than 270 members of the press have been killed during the genocide in Gaza.”
According to Erdoğan, “the credibility of international organisations that consider themselves as authoritative on press freedom as the UN Security Council must also be called into question”.
Erdoğan argued that developments around the world demonstrate the inadequacy of the existing system of international relations. The Turkish leader concluded his remarks by stating, “It is no longer just us; the entire world now sees and understands that today's problems cannot be solved with yesterday's solutions. We are all closely observing the impasse facing the current international system, established 81 years ago by those who held power and privilege at the time. Looking at developments in our region in particular, as well as in other parts of the world, it is clear that the system has effectively admitted its own failure.”