President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the United Nations (UN) General Assembly must be made more just, inclusive and effective, and called for the veto mechanism to be abolished.
Erdoğan answered journalists' questions at the Türkiye House in New York, where he was staying as part of the UN's 81st General Assembly. Noting that more than 130 countries were represented at the General Assembly meetings at the level of heads of state and government, Erdoğan said the work was being conducted under the theme “Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity.”
Call for reform of veto power
Erdoğan said he had emphasized multilateralism in his address to the UN General Assembly, adding that the global system must operate with broader participation, fairness and effectiveness. He said he had brought developments in Gaza to the international community's agenda and explained his approach based on regional ownership.
According to Erdoğan, the will of more than 190 countries at the UN is limited by the veto power held by five countries. Saying that this structure could not protect global stability and peace, Erdoğan noted that the issue was not limited to Türkiye having a greater say. He said Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Islamic world, Europe and other regions must also be represented fairly.
Erdoğan called for the veto mechanism to be abolished and the General Assembly to be strengthened. Proposing a system in which elected members would serve for set periods and those seeking re-election would have to earn the confidence of the international community, Erdoğan said global problems should be addressed by all members rather than by five countries.
US-related meetings in New York
Erdoğan said that during his visit to New York, he had met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and held talks with counterparts from Vietnam, Libya, Kuwait, Kosovo, Lebanon, Georgia, Qatar, Senegal, the United Kingdom, Japan, Poland, Bangladesh, Armenia, Iraq and Ukraine.
Erdoğan said the meetings addressed bilateral relations as well as steps that could be taken to prevent regional instability and conflicts. He added that at meetings with US business circles and think tanks, he had discussed investment and trade opportunities in Türkiye.
Erdoğan also said he had attended a meeting bringing together the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council countries at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. He said he had shared his views and proposals for bringing security and stability to the Middle East.
Message on navigation in Hormuz and the Black Sea
Erdoğan said the decline in ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz showed that the issue was not merely a matter between Iran and the United States, and expressed opposition to closing the strait to ship passage.
Erdoğan said protecting freedom of navigation affected Europe and Asia as well as energy markets, transportation and the daily lives of millions of people. He said the Strait of Hormuz must be opened so that problems could be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, and called for new diplomatic channels instead of new fronts.
Emphasizing that the Black Sea must not become a theater of war, Erdoğan said restoring navigational safety for commercial vessels would contribute to food security and prevent the war from spreading. Saying they expected the parties to act responsibly, Erdoğan announced that diplomatic efforts to re-establish the grain corridor had been accelerated. Erdoğan also said he had discussed the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Call for a ceasefire and political guarantees in Gaza
Erdoğan said lasting peace could not come to the Middle East until the bloodshed in Gaza ended, the ceasefire became permanent and Palestinians were ensured a dignified future in their own land.
Erdoğan said the parties must demonstrate the will to reach a solution for lasting peace and stability, and stated that Israel was undermining peace by continuing its attacks. He said mechanisms must be established to prevent the war in Gaza from restarting, reconstruction must be accelerated and the political future of the Palestinians must be guaranteed.
F-35, Eurofighter and the domestic defense industry
Erdoğan said US President Donald Trump had demonstrated a positive will regarding Türkiye's return to the F-35 program, adding that they expected this approach to lead to concrete steps.
Emphasizing that the domestic defense industry was a priority for Türkiye, Erdoğan said they wanted to develop fighter aircraft, air defense systems and defense industry capabilities, particularly the KAAN. He also said work on the Eurofighter with the United Kingdom was continuing.
Disarmament condition in the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process
Erdoğan said the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process was not a day-to-day matter, adding that it meant Türkiye would overcome a problem that had lasted for nearly half a century. He said the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye had established the legal framework, the relevant mechanisms had been set up and state institutions were monitoring developments on the ground.
Erdoğan said the organization must physically lay down its arms and the dismantling process must be completed for the framework law to be implemented. He added that the process was advancing step by step under the control of the relevant units.
Preparations for COP31 in Antalya
Reminding that Türkiye would host the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Antalya from November 9 to 20, Erdoğan said 100,000 participants from different parts of the world would be hosted in Antalya.
Erdoğan said he had also discussed the Zero Waste Movement and efforts aimed particularly at preventing food waste.
Erdoğan said diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the United States would mark their 100th anniversary next year, adding that they aimed to make 2027 an important milestone in relations between the two countries.
