Turkey, 2014

I greet

the Assembly respectfully, and I hope that its sixty-

ninth session will provide favourable results for all

countries, peoples and humankind. I would like to

congratulate you, Sir, on your election as the President

of the Assembly at its sixty-ninth session and to thank

Mr. John William Ashe for his work as President at the

sixty-eighth session.

The sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly

is being held on the hundredth anniversary of the

First World War, which broke out in 1914. We sadly

see that lands affected by the First World War are still

deprived of stability, peace and prosperity even after

a century. A wide area — ranging from Iraq to Syria,

from Palestine to Yemen, from Libya to Afghanistan

and to Ukraine — is witnessing scenes that leave deep

scars on the conscience of humankind. People still

die from hunger and communicable diseases in the

twenty-first century. Children and women are brutally

murdered in wars. The poor countries struggle with

hunger, malnutrition, communicable diseases and lack

of education, while the rich countries of the world

enjoy prosperity. Climate change poses a major threat

to the future of our world and that of our children. That

situation, which is a stain on human dignity, directly

concerns all of humankind and therefore, of course, the

United Nations.

Let me again, at this sixty-ninth session, stress

that no one is innocent in a world in which children are

killed, no one is safe, and no one can enjoy peace and

prosperity. In the past year alone, 6.3 million children

under five years of age lost their lives worldwide. As

a result of the war in Syria, 17,000 children have died,

375,000 have been injured, and 19,000 have lost at least

one body part.

This year 490 children were killed and 3,000

were injured as direct targets of the most modern

and murderous weapons used against the Gaza Strip

in Palestine. As they played on a beach, ran around

in a park, took refuge in a mosque or school, or were

comforted in their mothers’ laps, they were mercilessly

killed in front of cameras and before the eyes of the

world. We also see that those attempting to draw the

world’s attention to the deaths of women, children and

the disabled in Palestine are being variously labelled by

others. Those objecting to the murders in Iraq and Syria

and the murder of democracy in Egypt are again being

subjected to certain unfair and groundless accusations

and almost immediately accused of supporting

terrorism.

The global conscience is aware that those who

are ruthlessly criticizing some countries for lack of

freedom of the press are ignoring the 16 journalists

killed in Palestine and the pressure put on members of

the media. I will speak very clearly. Those who stand

by and remain unresponsive to the killing of children,

the vicious murder of women and the overthrow with

weapons and tanks of Governments that have come

to power through the will of the people are openly

participating in those crimes against humanity.

Even more significant, the modern world’s double

standard leads to substantial and serious distrust

among many people. That feeling of distrust affects

the United Nations — where we are today — and other

international organizations and threatens the sense of

justice, while filling millions of people with despair.

That distrust plays a principal role in fuelling the growth

of international terrorism today. The double standard

with regard to the oppressed and the indifference to the

killing of children help to foment terrorism around the

world. Those who lose hope in the United Nations and

other international organizations are desperate and are

helpless to resist the clutches of terrorists.

The problems in Iraq have wrought havoc among

the Iraqi people. More recently, the difficulties have

spread beyond Iraq’s borders. Unfortunately, Iraq has

now become a haven for terrorist organizations. The

current crisis in Iraq directly affects the countries in the

region, particularly Turkey. Given the newly established

Government in Iraq, it is our hope that Iraq will make

a fresh start. Turkey will stand by the Iraqi people in

their search for peace and stability. Likewise, the Syrian

crisis is spilling over the borders of that country. The

unresolved issue of half a century — Palestine — is

already a root cause of many problems in the region.

Implementing a two-State solution, lifting the

blockade against Gaza and establishing an independent,

viable State of Palestine alongside Israel is a political,

human and moral necessity. Many have spoken about

a two-State solution from this rostrum. However,

speaking about it is not sufficient. It is high time to

act. It is no longer appropriate simply to talk about the

issue — we must advance beyond that. Thousands of

people are dying while we talk instead of acting. I think,

at this point, it is a sad indication of the limits of our

sense of responsibility here at the United Nations. We

must therefore move forward. We must address these

problems at the United Nations without any further

delay in order to prevent more deaths of innocent people

and arrive at a solution.

Let me also say that the world is larger than the five

permanent members of the Security Council. The fact

that they have rendered the United Nations ineffective,

despite the situation in the world, must not be accepted

by the global conscience. Otherwise, decisions taken

at the United Nations will depend on a single country.

That is, if one country disagrees, then a decision will not

be taken or implemented. The United Nations failed to

find a solution as more than 2,000 innocent people were

killed within only two months in Palestine. In Syria,

the United Nations failed to find effective solutions as

more than 200,000 people were killed and more than

9 million people were displaced in the past four years.

I find it strange that we focus on issues selectively.

If 2,000 people are killed by chemical weapons, then

we focus on chemical weapons, and we consider the

killing of 2,000 people by chemical weapons to be a

crime. But what about the killing of 200,000 people by

conventional weapons — is that not a crime? I cannot

understand such an approach or such a mentality. Let us

clarify our thinking. Let it be understood that the use

of any kind of weapon leading to the deaths of people

is a crime, whether by chemical or conventional means.

The elected President in Egypt was overthrown

by a coup. Thousands of people wanted to defend

their electoral choice and were killed. Yet, the United

Nations and democratic countries have done nothing

but stand by while those events unfolded and the person

who conducted the coup was legitimized. If we wish

to speak meaningfully of democracy, then we should

respect the choice of the people at the ballot box. If, on

the other hand, we intend to defend people who come

to power via a coup, then I must call into question the

whole existence of the United Nations.

The United Nations is also unable to take an

effective stance in the face of uncontrolled events,

such as terrorism and migration in Iraq. This

silence, desperation and unresponsiveness can no

longer continue. We need more efficient and speedy

decision-making mechanisms if we are to be able to

address global and regional problems. Furthermore,

the United Nations should act more courageously in

standing up for the right side of the issues.

Let me point out another problem. We do not

approve of any kind of terrorism that is supposedly

carried out in the name of religion, and we believe that

such acts are hugely disrespectful to all religions. We

strongly condemn tying Islam, which means peace, to

terrorism. It is highly offensive that Islam and terror

are spoken of together. Similarly, those who call their

inhuman acts Islamic are offending the religion of

Islam, every other religion, and humankind generally.

Turkey has been trying very hard to build peace

and prosperity in the region. We do not interfere in the

internal affairs of any country; we respect and support

the territorial integrity of every country in the region.

Regarding the question of Palestine and Israel, we have

been working to try to achieve a two-State solution

based on peace and mutual respect. Our sensitivity to

this issue is based on the principle that the right to live

of every human being is sacred.

We have approached the problems in our region

on humanitarian and moral grounds alone, heedless

of race, religion, sect or interests. Our country is

sheltering 1.5 million people who have had to leave

Syria, and mostly from our own resources. Let me

repeat, 1.5 million refugees are in my country. As the

host country, we are providing them with food, medicine

and education. As for support from the rest of the world,

there has not been much, unfortunately. So far we have

spent more than $3.5 billion on the Syrian refugees in

our country. Of the roughly 4 million Syrian refugees

in the world, 1.5 million are in Turkey, with the rest

in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and other countries.

By contrast, I would like to ask what the strong and

rich countries of Europe are doing. So far they have

sheltered only 130,000 Syrian refugees — 130,00 in all

of Europe, while in Turkey alone we have 1.5 million,

plus the 2.5 million in the other countries I just

mentioned.

The crisis in Syria has become a regional and

global issue, so much so that it is impossible to remain

indifferent to it, whether for political or humanitarian

reasons. On top of this, we have treated 102 injured

civilians from Gaza in our hospitals. Turkey has also

taken in 30,000 Yazidis fleeing Iraq, and, just before

I came to New York, we opened our borders to Kurds

fleeing Syria. It was Turkey who gave them humanitarian

aid. In the past five days alone, the number of Syrian

refugees entering our country exceeded 150,000.

Five hundred years ago, we opened our doors to

Jews who had been expelled from Europe. We have

always protected the rights of Christians in Europe, and

today we are still opening our arms to those in need,

regardless of their religion, race or sect. I am proud

to say that Turkey allocates 2.1 per cent of its national

income to humanitarian aid, and as such has become

one of the most generous countries in the world. In

addition, thanks to the experience we have gained

throughout history, we have always maintained our

objectivity regarding terrorism, sectarian conflicts and

other crises, and we have always based our approach on

the defence and protection of people’s rights.

I would like to point out here that Turkey is not

a country that supports or condones terrorism. We

have fought terrorism, because we suffered from it

for 30 years, and are still suffering from it. Turkey

is also strongly against every kind of anti-Semitism,

Islamophobia and racism. I have said myself that

anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity, and I may

be one of the few political leaders who has so clearly

expressed this to the world. Similarly, the whole world

should accept that Islamophobia is also a crime against

humanity.

Turkey would like to see a solution to the problem in

Cyprus. We would like to see an end to the occupation

of territories in Azerbaijan. We have always voiced our

strong support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

We stand ready to support regional and global peace

at all costs, and we will continue to be a unique friend

to our friends. We will always stand firm against

terrorists, oppressors and killers, especially the killers

of children. We will fight for democracy and prosperity

with all our heart and soul. We are always ready to

join forces with other countries within the framework

of those ideals and on this common path, and that, of

course, is the kind of cooperation that humankind is

seeking today.

In that context, I should also say that we look to the

General Assembly to support Turkey in its candidacy

for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council, and

we thank the countries that are backing us. To that end,

I hope that the sixty-ninth session of the Assembly will

begin the work of wiping away the tears, blood, poverty

and injustice staining the face of the Earth. I wish the

Assembly and its President, Mr. Kutesa, every success,

and I would like to convey my country’s sincerest

greetings to all the nations represented here.