President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is in New York for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, had a roundtable with the representatives of American think tanks at the Turkish House.
President Erdoğan made a speech at the event.
Expressing his pleasure to be coming together with think tank representatives, President Erdoğan stated he would like to conduct a tour d’horizon of global and regional developments as well as challenges from the perspective of Turkish foreign policy.
Describing Türkiye’s basic principles as to strengthen friendships, decrease disagreements and ensure the establishment of peace, President Erdoğan stressed that Ankara sees it indispensable to respect international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states, and that these principles are needed more than ever in today’s world.
Noting that global challenges, and the hardships and uncertainties in tackling them, as well as regional conflicts and humanitarian crises are well known by all, President Erdoğan said: “We wake up to a new crisis, a new conflict almost on a daily basis. We believe that multilateralism must be strengthened in the face of this situation. We no longer live in the conditions of 1945, the Cold War, or the unipolar order.”
“IT IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY ALL THAT THE UNITED NATIONS NEEDS REFORM”
Underscoring the need for making the global system, the United Nations in particular, more just and more representative, President Erdoğan stated: “In every crisis we witness that bitter fact: On one side, there are the United Nations, which reflects the humanity’s common conscience and common mind, and its resolutions. On the other side, there are five privileged countries that hold the power to veto every decision at the Security Council. In every issue condemned to impasse for years, the pleasure, the interests and the priorities of these five countries prevail over the will of hundreds of countries at the General Assembly. It is exactly this distorted structure that I draw attention to by saying, ‘the World is bigger than five.’ Everyone acknowledges that the United Nations needs reform; yet, steps to implement this are not being taken. What is more, the burden of an increasingly dysfunctional United Nations is generally borne by the civilians in conflict zones and the oppressed struggling with hunger--in other words the ones who need the system to work the most. We will continue to make this call for reform at every place and at every opportunity. This issue will form the essence of my speech at the Summit of the Future tomorrow.”
“THE NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT IS RESORTING TO EVERY METHOD TO SPREAD THE WAR TO THE REGION”
President Erdoğan stated that they have been following the massacres occurring in Gaza since October 7 with a heavy heart.
Highlighting that two-thirds of the over 41 thousand Gazan civilians who lost their lives in Israel’s attacks are women and children, President Erdoğan said: “An all-out humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Gaza. 1.9 million people have been displaced. In Gaza, 70 percent of water resources and 75 percent of bakeries have been destroyed. 95 percent of health facilities have been completely and partially damaged. 150 thousand residences have been completely destructed and 200 thousand residences have been partially destructed. 80 thousand residences have been rendered uninhabitable. Access to clean water resources is almost impossible. Diseases such as hepatitis, polio and dysentery have reached alarming levels.”
Noting that only a quarter of the aid urgently needed by people are allowed to enter, President Erdoğan stated that the people of Gaza are being massacred not only with bombs but also with hunger, lack of water, and lack of medication.
Describing their priorities as to achieve lasting ceasefire and ensure the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, President Erdoğan said: “The Netanyahu government is resorting to every method to spread the war to the region. We stress at every opportunity that this shouldn’t be allowed. The international community must step up the pressure on Israel.”
“OUR FIGHT AGAINST TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IS ALSO FOR THE SECURITY OF THE REGION”
The Russia-Ukraine War has turned into a major humanitarian tragedy before the eyes of all, the President said. “We have been striving for the establishment of a just peace since the beginning of the war. The negotiations in Istanbul have proven the success of the active role displayed by Türkiye. Yet, certain lobbies did not want these efforts to be successful. No matter what, we are doing everything in our power in order for the war to end without causing any further destruction, and we will continue to do so.”
Drawing attention to the important opportunity that emerged in the South Caucasus for peace and stability, President Erdoğan added that Türkiye has consolidated its regional roles as a result of its constructive diplomacy in the Balkans and its moves for stability and peace in the Middle East.
President Erdoğan stated: “While supporting the territorial integrity of our neighbors Syria and Iraq, we also determinedly fight against every threat against our country originating from the territories of these two countries. Our fight against terrorist organizations such as PKK, PYD, YPG, DAESH and FETO are for the security of not only Türkiye but the region as well.”
“TÜRKİYE IS ONE OF NATO’S STRONGEST ALLIES”
“We are pleased with the positive atmosphere felt recently in the Türkiye-U.S. relations,” said President Erdoğan, recalling that the last meeting of the strategic mechanism, where the bilateral relations were addressed thoroughly, was held in March in Washington D.C.
New consultative mechanisms on many issues from war on terror to defense industry, energy to climate and environment were instituted during this meeting, the President added.
President Erdoğan said: “Although our trade volume surpassed $30 billion last year, we believe that we can increase this figure to $100 billion. We continue to have some differences of opinion with the U.S. administration on some of the issues concerning our national security. We share our expectations regarding the termination of support for the PKK, PYD, YPG, and FETO with our American friends on every occasion. The measures and defense industry sanctions applied by our NATO ally, the U.S., against Türkiye negatively affect our sense of trust. It is obvious that the CAATSA sanctions and our removal from the F-35 program are incompatible with the spirit of alliance.”
Noting that it would be beneficial to conclude the defense industry export license applications pending at the Congress as soon as possible, President Erdoğan stated: “Just like the entire world, we are also closely following the U.S. Presidential and congressional elections scheduled for November 5. Regardless of who is elected President in the elections, our view of the U.S. and our high-level dialogue in the relations will remain the same. Türkiye is one of NATO’s strongest allies. We are also a country with a perspective for full EU membership. While expanding our cooperation with the Western world, we do not neglect the East. We are determined to strengthen our dialogue with organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, and ASEAN. We have taken critical steps in this direction recently. We have achieved a very different atmosphere. We will further enhance our cooperation with various regional organizations with a Türkiye-oriented approach that is centered on our country’s interests.”
