“International security system must be rebuilt”

Hosting a fast-breaking dinner for foreign ambassadors and chairs of DEIK Business Councils, President Erdoğan stated that the UN and particularly the UNSC do not function well and said: “An international organization that cannot find solutions to the problems of people and countries is bound to lose its influence after a while.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted a fast-breaking dinner for foreign ambassadors, serving in Ankara, and chairs of the Business Councils of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) at the Presidential Complex.

“MIDDLE EAST AND ISLAMIC WORLD GOING THROUGH A CRITICAL PERIOD”

“In the last 6 years, over half a million people have lost their lives in Syria. 12 million people have been displaced. Over 5 million of them have had to take refuge in other countries. 3 million of them have come to Turkey,” President Erdoğan said and he added: “The entire Middle East and Islamic world are going through a very critical and trying period. As a result of terrorist attacks that took place in Turkey, France, Belgium, Pakistan and the US, hundreds of innocent people have lost their lives. In various places on earth, people are subjected to oppression and torment, which even result in death, because of their faiths, origins and cultures.”

“WORLD NEEDS SOLUTIONS NOT POWER PLAYS”

Addressing the entire world before the ambassadors, President Erdoğan called on them to protect humanity together and said: “Let us not consent to oppression no matter who it comes from or who it is directed to. Let us take a stand against terrorists regardless of their identity, discourse, origin and faith. Let us take the oppressed under our wings together. Then and only then I believe the world will become a place much more beautiful and livable for all of us. At this point, the world needs solutions, not power plays.”

“Turkey attaches great importance to humanitarian aid,” President Erdoğan said, stating that Turkey ranks the 2^nd largest humanitarian donor after the US and 1^st based on gross national income. Drawing attention to Turkey’s 4.8% growth in Q1, the President said: “We are number one in Europe and I believe we will do better despite all difficulties.”

“TERRORISM COMMON PROBLEM OF HUMANITY”

Stating that he had a phone call with US President Obama regarding the incident in Orlando, President Erdoğan underscored the need for a common stance against all these incidents and that terrorism is the common problem of humanity. Expressing that we need to overcome this problem in international agreement, President Erdoğan said that if we cannot achieve that, terror will keep knocking on our door. “The ambivalent attitude, exhibited against terror, does not give us hope in solving other problems. We are paying the heaviest price in the world. We have always been ready to cooperate against terror but unless we treat all terrorist organizations the same, we will not be able to succeed against this scourge.”

“A SECURITY COUNCIL WHERE ALL WORLD IS REPRESENTED NECESSARY”

Underscoring that it is a must to rebuild the international security system, President Erdoğan stated that the UN and particularly the UNSC do not function well and said: “An international organization that cannot find solutions to the problems of people and countries is bound to lose its influence after a while. There is a problem here and we need to solve it quickly. Otherwise, everyone will have to take care of themselves and the real great crisis will begin then. That is why I say 'World is bigger than five.’ We cannot impose rules set by five countries on 196 states throughout the world. What should be done? Currently, Asia, Europe and America have representatives in the UNSC. Why are not other continents represented there? There are 1.7 billion Muslims all over the world, but there is not a single Muslim-majority country in the UN Security Council to represent them. Is that fair? I say we need a security council in which every single religious group, all continents, the entire world are represented. And there should not be non-permanent members. There should be 20 permanent members in the UNSC.”

“The world no longer lives in the conditions of WWI. We need to update the conditions,” President Erdoğan said, underlining the need for building an international security system that will protect the righteous and oppressed. “I believe international organizations in the world need to be reformed as a whole. I hope the problems we are faced with today will serve as a beginning and also as a catalyst for this inevitable process.”

“TURKEY’S FULL MEMBERSHIP TO THE EUROPEAN UNION IS A STRATEGIC GOAL”

President Erdoğan continued as follows: “We turn our back on neither the West because of our ties with the Muslim world nor the Middle East because of our relations with Europe, America, Asia and Latin America. We don’t view the foreign policy as a zero-sum game. On the contrary, we are of the belief that a win-win balance can be secured on the basis of mutual respect, collective values and shared interests. In this regard, for us, Turkey’s full membership to the European Union is a strategic goal. It is a fact that the politics of Europe fail to come up with solutions to problems, and on such occasions it assumes an anti-Turkey stance from time to time, which saddens us. We should focus on our long-term strategic goals, assessing our relations from a long-term and broader perspective and setting aside such occasional problems.”

“REQUIRED PREPARATIONS FOR THE VISA LIBERALIZATION ARE ABOUT TO END”

Stressing that over 6 million Turks live in Europe, President Erdoğan said: “While we are holding negotiations with the EU for full membership, we are also exerting efforts to find solutions to the refugee problem. It is of course out of the question for us to take any step they would undermine Turkey’s capacity to fight terror. In fact, the required preparations for the visa liberalization are about to end. I believe that we will achieve results that would also care about Turkey’s sensitivities about the fight against terror. As is known, we have taken over the term presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. We will strenuously work over the next two years to strengthen the ties between member states and to find solutions to urgent problems. The Islamic world has great opportunities and means in every field. We should put these to the service of entire humanity and leave a free and more prosperous world to next generations. Muslim countries should work more than everybody to solve their own problems.”

“SECTARIANISM, GOD FORBID, DRAGS US TO TERROR”

Urging vigilance against the menaces of sectarianism, racism and terrorism, President Erdoğan said: “We can neither talk of Shiite’s superiority over Sunni nor Sunni’s superiority over Shiite. Such a discussion amounts to sectarianism. And sectarianism, God forbid, drags us to terror. We are already living this in the region. Unfortunately this is what we live in many parts of the world, as well, including Iraq, Syria, Yemen… For this reason, we will not engage in sectarianism. Above all [sects] is Islam.  Then, as Muslims, we will love each other. That is what we will do.”

President Erdoğan also stressed the need for a collective fight against terror and recalled that Turkey has lost about 600 citizens of its since July and neutralized, in return, over 7 thousand terrorists, adding: “Then, will we stop? No, we won’t. This work will continue to the end. This country will attain peace. No one has such a right to disturb the peace of this country.”

“BY NO MEANS CAN WE LET A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION NESTLE IN OUR SOUTH”

The state is responsible to provide safety for life and property, the President said and further noted: “Currently the state is fulfilling this responsibility. We will provide safety both for the life and the property. These terrorists will bury and then cement their weapons. After that, they will give the coordinates to us. If they refuse to do so, they will leave the country. There is no other way out. We are already putting up the relevant struggle at home. However, I also have to say those: The PYD and YPG terrorist organizations in Syria pose a threat to our country. We are also conducting a struggle with the international coalition against them. We will continue this struggle there with determination. By no means can we let a terrorist organization nestle in our south. And we especially expect our friends to review their stance on this issue.”