Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sharply criticized the United Nations’ current role in an address to the UN General Assembly, saying a global order in which the will of more than 190 countries is subject to the demands of five countries is unjust.
Erdoğan said the United Nations, established 81 years ago to maintain international peace and security, is no longer capable of fulfilling its mission and has become powerless.
He said people in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan and other crisis-hit regions who have placed their hopes in the United Nations have become deeply disappointed with the organization.
According to Erdoğan, more than 60 wars and conflicts have taken place over the past 12 months, killing 250,000 people in conflicts ranging from Gaza to Ukraine and Russia, Myanmar to Darfur, and Iran to Lebanon.
“We may feel safe today, live in comfort and peace, and remain far from conflict zones, but no one knows what may happen tomorrow,” Erdoğan said.
He stressed that restoring trust in the United Nations requires protecting the children of Gaza and ensuring that Palestinian children see kites in the sky instead of warplanes and drones.
“A global order in which the will of more than 190 countries is subject to the demands of five countries is not just,” he said.
Erdoğan called for reform of the UN Security Council, saying, “The world is bigger than five.”
He also said international law is applied differently to powerful and weaker countries. According to Erdoğan, a global order in which violators escape punishment and impunity becomes the norm is heading toward collapse.
The Turkish president called on countries to put cooperation and diplomacy at the center of their relations and expand regional efforts to address international crises.