Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will address the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly for the 16th time on September 22. Erdoğan first attended the UN General Assembly in 2005, while serving as prime minister, during the 60th General Assembly session.
Messages on UN reform and the fight against terrorism
Erdoğan focused on the fight against terrorism during the 62nd General Assembly session in 2007. Saying that any terrorist attack anywhere in the world constituted a crime against humanity, Erdoğan called for international solidarity and more effective cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
During the 64th General Assembly session in 2009, he said the United Nations needed to become a more democratic, transparent, fair and effective structure. Erdoğan stated that reform of the UN system could not be considered complete without reforming the Security Council.
Palestine, Syria and regional issues
During the 66th General Assembly session in 2011, Erdoğan delivered messages on Syria, Libya, Somalia and Palestine. Saying that it was unacceptable to leave the Karabakh conflict unresolved, he stated that international problems should be resolved before turning into protracted conflicts.
At the 69th General Assembly session in 2014, which he attended for the first time as president, Erdoğan expressed his call for UN reform with the phrase, “The world is bigger than five.” He argued that the weight of the five permanent members in the decision-making mechanism had rendered the UN ineffective.
During the 71st General Assembly session in 2016, which he attended about two months after the July 15 coup attempt, he called for international measures against FETÖ. At the 72nd session in 2017, he drew attention to the fight against ISIS and the PKK, which draw strength from instability in Syria and Iraq, as well as efforts against FETÖ.
Addressing the Palestinian issue during the 73rd General Assembly session in 2018, Erdoğan said the UN Security Council had become a structure serving the interests of its five permanent members. He stated that Türkiye would continue to support the Palestinians in the face of pressure against them and defend Jerusalem’s historical and legal status.
He drew attention to the migration and climate crises
During the 74th General Assembly session in 2019, Erdoğan described the problem of irregular migration through images of baby Aylan, whose body washed ashore in the Bodrum district of Muğla. He said the international community needed to take measures against the dangers faced by people trying to save their lives in the Mediterranean and border regions.
During the same session, Erdoğan spoke using a visual showing changes in Palestinian territory over the years, criticized the failure to implement UN resolutions and said international organizations needed to be more effective in ensuring justice.
At the 75th General Assembly session in 2020, held by videoconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Erdoğan said multilateral institutions had been inadequate in the face of global crises. Saying that humanity’s future could not be left to the decisions of a limited number of countries, he renewed his call for reform at the UN.
During the 76th General Assembly session in 2021, Erdoğan drew attention to floods, hurricanes, droughts and fires in different regions. He said climate change threatened not only the environment and ecosystems but also people’s safety and property. He stated that a solution needed to be found to the migration problem caused by crisis regions such as Syria and Afghanistan.
Messages on the Black Sea Grain Corridor and Cyprus
The Russia-Ukraine war, the Black Sea Grain Corridor and negotiations between the parties were on the agenda during the 77th General Assembly session in 2022. Erdoğan said Ukrainian grain had reached world markets through the Black Sea as a result of efforts led by Türkiye and the UN secretary-general, adding that the Istanbul Agreement had shown that negotiations could produce results.
Delivering messages on the fight against terrorism, Islamophobia, racism, the Russia-Ukraine war, Palestine and the Eastern Mediterranean during the 78th General Assembly session in 2023, Erdoğan called on the international community to recognize the independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and establish diplomatic, political and economic relations with it.
In the same speech, Erdoğan said the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus needed to act impartially. Saying that Karabakh was Azerbaijani territory, he stated that they expected Armenia to fulfill its promises and take steps toward opening the Zangezur Corridor.
Erdoğan addressed the 79th General Assembly session for the 14th time on September 24, 2024. In his speech, he called on the international community to stand against Israel’s attacks.
