Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for fundamental reforms to the international system, arguing that international law cannot be applied differently to powerful and weaker states, while urging the international community to increase pressure on Israel and support the reconstruction of Gaza.

Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Erdoğan said the international system was facing a crisis of credibility and warned that an order in which impunity becomes the norm was destined to deteriorate.

“We are compelled to change the current understanding where international law is applied differently to the strong and the weak,” Erdoğan said. “Let us not forget that an international system where wrongdoers get away with it and, worse still, where impunity has become the norm, is doomed to decay.”

Gaza at the center of Erdoğan's address

Much of Erdoğan's speech focused on Gaza and the Palestinian question.

He expressed concern that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had been unable to attend the General Assembly in person for a second consecutive year and called on countries that have not recognized the State of Palestine to reconsider their positions.

Erdoğan accused Israel of carrying out what he described as “state terrorism” in Gaza and said more than 74,000 Palestinians had been killed over the previous three years, according to figures cited in his address. He said most of those killed were women and children and described the humanitarian situation in the territory as catastrophic.

He also highlighted the destruction of hospitals and infrastructure, shortages of fuel and the plight of children who had lost limbs in attacks.

“Gaza today is not merely the world’s largest graveyard for children,” Erdoğan said, adding that he regarded it as having the world's highest rate of child amputees. He also criticized the international response to the conflict and said the United Nations had failed to adequately fulfil its responsibility to maintain peace and security.

Erdoğan called for Gaza's reconstruction to begin without delay and urged countries to exert greater pressure on Israel.

“Attempts to strangle the State of Palestine will fail,” he said, reiterating Türkiye's support for an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

His call for increased international pressure on Israel and for Gaza's reconstruction was also highlighted in reporting on the speech.

Call for Security Council reform

Erdoğan said restoring confidence in the United Nations required structural changes, particularly at the Security Council.

He criticized a system in which the will of more than 190 UN member states can effectively be overridden by the five permanent members of the Security Council, referring to Türkiye's longstanding argument that “the world is bigger than five.”

He called for the Security Council to be reformed according to a more representative model and said international institutions should place greater emphasis on regional ownership, cooperation and diplomacy.

Erdoğan cited Türkiye's role in efforts including the Black Sea Grain Corridor as an example of what he described as regional initiatives contributing to regional and global security.

The issue of UN reform was also a major theme of the wider opening of the 81st General Assembly. UN Secretary-General António Guterres separately called for stronger international cooperation and warned that international law and humanitarian principles were under severe strain.

Syria, Ukraine and regional conflicts

Turning to Syria, Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue supporting what he described as the “brotherly Syrian people” following the country's transition after 14 years of conflict.

He said Türkiye supported efforts to strengthen state authority and stability in Iraq and was cooperating with Baghdad on transportation and energy projects, including the Development Road Project.

On the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdoğan said Türkiye hoped for an end to the conflict while preserving Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said Ankara continued contacts with the parties on issues including freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, food security and preventing the conflict from spreading. He also condemned recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, regardless of who carried them out.

Erdoğan also called for dialogue over disputes in South Asia, including Kashmir, and expressed support for efforts toward a ceasefire and lasting peace in Sudan. He said Türkiye would continue supporting stability in Somalia and Libya.

Cyprus and Türkiye-EU relations

Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye's position that the sovereign equality and equal international status of Turkish Cypriots should be recognized.

He called on the international community to establish political, diplomatic and economic relations with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and to end what he described as the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.

He also presented Türkiye as an important component of Europe's security architecture, saying that a European security structure excluding Türkiye could not be stronger or safer.

Climate change and COP31

Erdoğan said Türkiye would host the COP31 climate summit in Antalya in November and pledged to place climate justice at the center of the meeting.

He said Ankara wanted the summit to become an “Implementation COP,” with greater emphasis on fulfilling financial commitments, accelerating technology transfers and translating climate pledges into concrete action.

He also promoted the Zero Waste initiative launched by his wife, Emine Erdoğan, in 2017, describing it as a global campaign that could contribute to tackling environmental challenges.

Warning over Islamophobia and social threats

Erdoğan also addressed what he described as growing social threats, including Islamophobia, xenophobia, cultural racism and antisemitism.

He criticized restrictions on the wearing of headscarves in schools in some countries, describing them as attacks on women's fundamental rights. He also warned about the spread of disinformation through social media and called for an international legal framework governing artificial intelligence.

He said Türkiye would continue supporting measures to protect families and children and called for international cooperation on emerging technological risks.

“We will not remain silent”

Concluding his address, Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue speaking on behalf of what he described as oppressed and voiceless people.

He said Ankara would continue defending what it regards as the rights of those facing injustice, even when doing so carries political or diplomatic costs.

“We will not remain silent in the face of injustice, and we will never consent to oppression,” Erdoğan said.

He closed by presenting what he described as two possible paths for the international community: deeper uncertainty through conflict, fear and isolation, or a future built around justice, solidarity and collective action.

“Türkiye has chosen the second path,” he said. (ILKHA)