President of Turkey Declares His Position at the United Nations
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, delivered a speech at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in the General Assembly Hall. He began his remarks by expressing the hope that this session would be beneficial for all humanity and said he was pleased to once again speak from a platform he described as representing the common conscience of humankind.
Erdoğan congratulated Philémon Yang, President of the 79th UN General Assembly, whose term had ended, and wished success to Annalena Baerbock, former Foreign Minister of Germany, who has assumed the position.
He also expressed regret that Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine, was unable to attend the session. He thanked the countries that have recognized Palestine and called on others to do so without delay.
Referring to the UN Charter, which came into force in 1945, Erdoğan said the organization’s purpose is to maintain international peace and security. He stressed that while the 80th anniversary of the UN’s founding is being celebrated, events are unfolding in many parts of the world that overshadow this goal.
He specifically pointed to Gaza, saying that for more than 700 days genocide has continued before the eyes of the world. According to him, the number of civilians killed in Gaza has exceeded 65,000, more than 20,000 of them children. Erdoğan added that in the past 23 months, Israel has killed one child every hour in Gaza. He also said that 428 people, including 146 children, have died of starvation.
The Turkish President showed images of civilians in Gaza, saying women were searching for water with basins in their hands and that two- to three-year-old children without arms or legs had become the ordinary image of Gaza. He emphasized that Gaza’s health infrastructure has collapsed, doctors have been killed or detained, ambulances targeted, and hospitals bombed. Pointing out that the UN has not even been able to protect its own personnel in Gaza, he said 500 people who went to help the people of Gaza have been killed, 326 of them UN staff.
Calling genocide a shameful and inhumane concept, Erdoğan compared it to the Holocaust and said that in Gaza not only people but also animals, farmland, orchards, centuries-old olive trees, water resources, buildings, libraries, schools, mosques, churches, and historical structures have been targeted and destroyed.
He stressed that there is no war in Gaza: on one side stands a regular army with the most modern weapons, and on the other innocent civilians. He described the situation as occupation, deportation, and genocide carried out under the pretext of the October 7 incident.
Erdoğan said that while Gaza is being destroyed under the pretext of Hamas, the West Bank is also being occupied and civilians there are being killed. He added that Israel, through its attacks on Syria, Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon, is threatening regional peace.
According to him, the attack on the negotiating team in Qatar showed that the Israeli government has lost control and that the country’s prime minister has no intention of peace or rescuing hostages.
Erdoğan emphasized that because of Israel’s actions, values such as human rights, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, women’s and children’s rights, democracy, and justice are being marginalized worldwide.
He said the Israeli government, with its expansionist policy, is targeting regional peace and the common achievements of humanity, and that Jerusalem, the holy land of the three Abrahamic religions, is the direct target of this policy. Erdoğan added that this situation has even disturbed conscientious Jews and has led to a rise in anti-Semitism worldwide. He called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an end to attacks, and the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid, and said those responsible for this genocide must be held accountable under international law.
In another part of his speech, the Turkish President addressed regional and international issues. He said he hopes Iran’s nuclear issue will be resolved through diplomacy.
He also referred to the people of Syria, saying they had prevailed in their struggle against their regime and that stability in Syria would benefit all countries in the region.
On Cyprus, Erdoğan said there are two separate states and two separate peoples on the island, and that Turkish Cypriots will never accept minority status. He stressed that the Cyprus issue cannot be solved on the basis of a federal model and that projects excluding Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from the Eastern Mediterranean will not succeed.
Erdoğan said Turkey is ready for constructive cooperation in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean and is strengthening its relations with the United States, its NATO ally, particularly in the fields of trade, investment, energy, and defense industries.
He also said that stopping the bloodshed in Sudan and establishing lasting peace is a shared responsibility of the international community, and emphasized that the global community must not leave the people of Afghanistan alone in their recovery process. He said Turkey and the Turkish nation will continue to stand by the people of Afghanistan.
