Turkey, 2025

The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey. I request Protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. Excellency President of UNGA, Excellencies Heads of State and Government, Distinguished Secretary General, Distinguished Delegation Members, on behalf of myself and my nation, I greet you all with most heartfelt feelings. I wish for the 80th United Nations General Assembly to bring blessings to all humanity. I am deeply honored to address you once again from this podium, which represents the collective conscience of humanity. I congratulate Mr. Young, who has completed his term as President of the General Assembly, and I wish success to Ms. Baerbock, who has taken over this position. At the outset of my speech, I would like to first express my regret at the absence today of the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, at a time when Palestine is being recognized by an increasing number of countries. Today, we stand here on this podium. I stand here on this podium alongside my 86 million citizens, also for our Palestinian brothers and sisters whose voices are being silenced. I'd like to thank all the countries who announced that they recognize the State of Palestine, and I call on all the other countries who have not done so yet to do so, to recognize the State of Palestine as soon as possible. Esteemed President, Distinguished Members, the United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco eight years ago, and it entered into force on October 24, 1945. I would like to recall here again the first words of the first article of the UN Charter. Quote, The purpose of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security. Unquote. As we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the UN in this hall, grave events are unfolding in many parts of the world that cast a shadow over the very first words of the UN Charter's opening article. Particularly in Gaza, right before our very eyes, genocide has been going on for over 700 days now. Even as we gather here, as we speak now, Israel is currently massacring civilians in Gaza. The number of civilian casualties in Gaza has surpassed 65,000. Unfortunately, the number of people who are still trapped under the rubble is not yet known, and more than 20,000 of those who died were children. Over the last 23 months, a child has been murdered by Israel in Gaza every hour. Yes, every hour. These are not just figures, dear friends. All of these, each one of these is a person, a human being, innocent people. People are now being killed not with weapons, but with the weapon of starvation. In the 21st century, under the gaze of the civilized world, 428 people died of starvation. Out of those 428, 146 were children, and this number is increasing every day. Now I will show you a photo, which is a picture from daily life in Gaza. The first photo, as you see, these are people. These are women with these cups that they are holding in their hands, cups and buckets. Just feel your conscience and answer the following question. Can we possibly have a reasonable reason for this brutality in 2025? But this shameful picture in Gaza has been unfolding and is being repeated every day for 23 months now. And there are 2.5 million Gazans who live in 365 square kilometers, and every day what happens is they are being dragged from one place to another. The health care infrastructure of Gaza is completely collapsed. Doctors have been killed or they have disappeared while under custody. Ambulances have been hit. Hospitals targeted and destroyed. Treatment is not possible. Surgery is not possible. It's not possible to find medications. Now, dear friends, now as Tayyip Erdogan with a heavy heart, with my heart bleeding here, I am telling you, innocent little ones, just two or three years old, without hands, arms or legs, have become, unfortunately, a common sight to see in Gaza. This one. What kind of a human conscience can possibly bear this? Possibly. How can one stay silent vis-a-vis this? In a world where children are dying of starvation and lack of medication, can we possibly have calm and peace? We all are parents. We have children or grandchildren who we dearly cherish. Here, say in America or in Europe, anywhere in the world, when a small rose thorn hurts a child's hand, the hearts of parents break. But in Gaza, children's hands, arms and legs are being amputated without anesthesia. Now, I'm extremely sorry to say, but this represents the lowest point of humanity. Human history has not witnessed such bloodshed within the last century. All of this is happening before our very eyes. The genocide in Gaza is being broadcast live every moment through the media and social media. So far, Israel has deliberately killed 250 journalists working in national and international media in Gaza. And they have closed all the entrance into Gaza, but they still have not been able to cover up the genocide. I wholeheartedly support Secretary General Guterres because he consistently draws attention to the ongoing genocide in Palestinian territories. And I would like to once again congratulate him for his courage. But the United Nations has not even been able to protect its own personnel in Gaza, unfortunately. In Gaza, 500 people rushing to help others have been killed. Out of those 500, 326 were UN staff members. Esteemed President, distinguished members, now, genocide like the Holocaust is a shameful concept which refers to the mass extermination of people. It's a barbaric concept. But today, it's not only people who are being killed in Gaza, mind you. Animals are being targeted and killed in Gaza. In Gaza, agricultural land, gardens, trees, grass, century-old olive trees are being destroyed. In Gaza, water supplies are being destroyed and polluted. Buildings, homes, libraries, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and historical structures in Gaza are being deliberately destroyed. The soil of Gaza is being rendered useless for humans, for animals, and for plants. So now, let me show you yet another photo. And let me ask you here, look at this photo. What could this photo here possibly have to do with security concerns? This is being against life, don't you think? Let me state this openly from this podium. There is no war in Gaza. We cannot possibly talk about the presence of two sides in Gaza. Because in Gaza, on one side, there is a regular army with the most modern, most lethal weapons. And on the other hand, there are innocent civilians, innocent children. This is not a fight against terrorism. This is an occupation, deportation, exile, genocide, and life destruction, mass destruction policy carried out by invoking the events of October the 7th. Today, while Gaza is being destroyed under the pretext of Hamas, concurrently, simultaneously, the West Bank, where Hamas is not in power, is also being occupied step by step. And innocent civilians are being massacred through executions. Moreover, Israel is not limiting itself to Gaza and the West Bank only. By launching attacks on Syria, on Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon, Israel is also threatening regional peace. Most recently, an Israeli attack took place against a delegation meeting in Qatar for ceasefire negotiations. The attack on Qatar has also shown that the Israeli leadership is now completely out of control. Netanyahu is not obviously interested in forging peace or releasing the hostages. Not only Israel's neighbors, but all countries in the Middle East are subject to the Israeli government's reckless threats. And we must realize the following. Due to the increasing aggression of Israel in Europe and the West in general, the values that emerged after the Second World War have been eroded. The most fundamental human rights, such as freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and protest, women's rights, children's rights, democracy, equality, and justice have been shelved away. At this point, we all have to see the following truth, my dear friends. The Israeli government, driven by an obsession with the promised lands, is openly threatening regional peace and the shared values of humanity. Three celestial religions. Jerusalem hosts all three celestial religions, and a common inherited holy place, Al-Quds, is holy for all three religions. This madness disturbs conscientious Jews. It fuels anti-Semitism around the world. We cannot continue with this madness anymore. We have to have ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible. Attacks should stop. Human aid should be able to enter with no obstacles. The genocide team should be held accountable vis-à-vis international law, and God willing, this will definitely happen. Vis-à-vis the barbarity taking place in Gaza, everyone who is keeping silent is an accomplice to this barbarity. From here, I would like to call on all the heads of state and government. Today is the day. Today is the day to stand firm alongside the oppressed Palestinians and alongside humanity. While your peoples back home are reacting to the barbarity in Gaza, do show the courage to take action here. Fulfill your humanitarian duty toward Gaza, where children are raising children. On this occasion, I would like to say the following. There are peoples all around the world who are taken to the streets, unarmed activists and volunteers from different countries of the world, academicians, students, journalists, everyone, all the defenders of Palestine. I would like to say to them, thank you so much, and clear bows and favorable winds for their actions. Esteemed delegation members, for 13 years, I have spoken to you from this platform about the oppression and conflicts in our neighbor, Syria. Just as I raised my voice today for the oppressed people of Gaza, likely for 13 years, I have also drawn attention to the cries of the Syrians, and here I became their voice and breath as well. The persecution that caused the deaths of one million people and that forced millions more to flee their homeland has, thankfully, become a thing of the past with the December 8th revolution. Our Syrian brothers and sisters opened the doors to a new period as of December 8th. I believe that the people of Syria, who fought against a bloodthirsty regime, will also be able to carry the victory they achieved at great cost to its rightful place, God willing. We'll support with all our means the vision of a one and unified Syria with no forms of terrorism, especially ISIS, being present. A free Syria where security is established is what we want. As stability takes root in Syria, the winners for sure will be all the neighboring countries, our entire region, along with Syrians. And the brotherly countries in the Gulf, I would like to thank them for their contributions for Syria to recuperate. All the regional and international actors who share the same principles with us, God willing, we will continue with our cooperation with all those actors in the same manner. Esteemed friends, we hope that the nuclear issue with our neighbor Iran will be resolved through diplomacy as soon as possible. It should not be forgotten that our region cannot tolerate yet another crisis. Meanwhile, the stability, security and prosperity of our neighbor Iraq are extremely important for the well-being of our region. In this regard, we attach great importance to strategic moves based on stability and prosperity such as the Development Path Project. In the north, we are hosting with great enthusiasm the Istanbul process between Russia and Ukraine, both of which are our neighbors. Through direct talks, we facilitated the exchange of several prisoners and corpses, and we worked to identify the modalities of peace negotiations between the parties. Do not forget, there is no winner of war and no losers of a just peace. So with this motto in mind, in the coming days also, we will continue to work hard for a peaceful ceasefire. Meanwhile, we have encouraged the parties from the very beginning to establish peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We are pleased that steps were taken on August 8th, steps that will enable the establishment of lasting peace between the two countries. I would like to once again congratulate the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the American President, Donald Trump, who contributed to this process, and I would like to congratulate them. On this occasion, I would also like to state that the normalization process between our country and Armenia is progressing as planned. Within the scope of the Ankara process, which is another of our mediation activities, we continue our efforts to resolve the conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia. I hope that the parties will successfully conclude this genuine initiative as soon as possible. Distinguished Delegation Members, We have been implementing the Montreux Convention, which guarantees security in the Black Sea, and we have been implementing this convention impartially and to the letter for exactly 89 years now. We want to see the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean as a basin of stability and prosperity where the legitimate interests of all parties involved are respected. We are ready for constructive cooperation on all issues, particularly on energy and the environment, and we expect the same approach from our neighbors. On this occasion, I would like to particularly underline that projects which exclude Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean, such projects which exclude us, will not be successful. Turkey has rights and authority in the western part of the island of Cyprus, while the Turkish Cypriots have legitimate rights in the areas surrounding the island. An Eastern Mediterranean Conference, which we have proposed before, would contribute to finding common ground. Resolving the Cyprus issue has been tried many times before, but due to the rigid stance of the Greek Cypriot side, no resolution has been found. We cannot possibly have this as a foundation for a resolution of the issue. There are two separate states and two separate peoples on the island of Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are equal owners of the island and they will not accept being a minority. The international community must put an end to the unfair and inhumane isolation that the Turkish Cypriots have been subjected to for half a century now. I reiterate the call I made at the last three UN General Assemblies. I call on the international community to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and to establish diplomatic, political and economic relations with it. Esteemed President, distinguished members, in the coming period, we desire a new beginning and vision in Turkey-EU relations. This should not be a vision that just saves the day, but rather a vision that redefines the horizon and shapes our shared future. For this, it is of course important that the EU is as willing and determined as we are. As a net security provider, we continue to contribute to the operations and missions of the United Nations, NATO, OSCE and the EU. The annual NATO Summit next year will be held in Turkey, in Ankara. The USA is our NATO ally. Our relations with them are continuing on trade, investments, energy, defence, industry in addition to many other areas, and we are strengthening our relations with them. Meanwhile, we attach great importance to the peace, stability and prosperity of our brotherly countries in Central Asia, which is our ancestral homeland. Our organization of Turkic states is moving forward with confidence on the path to becoming a global actor, going beyond being merely a regional umbrella. We are making intensive efforts to ensure the continuation of peace and stability in the Balkans, where we have strong historical, cultural and people ties. The Balkan Peace Platform, which we established in July, is the newest and most concrete manifestation of our efforts in this direction, and this October we will once again assume the command of KFOR forces. In Afghanistan, our fundamental desire is that the current administration demonstrates an approach that embraces the society and that takes human values into consideration. In this process, it is essential that the international community does not leave Afghan people alone, and as Turkey and as the Turkish nation, we will stand by the Afghan people at all times. Esteemed friends, in South Asia, we consider the preservation of peace and stability to be of utmost importance. We are pleased with the ceasefire achieved following the tensions last April between Pakistan and India, the tension which has escalated into a conflict. It is important to see a cooperation between the two countries when it comes to counterterrorism. The issue of Kashmir should be resolved on the basis of resolutions of the UN for the best for our brothers and sisters in Kashmir through dialogue, we hope. In the continent of Africa, from education to health, from infrastructure to other areas, our relations are improving annually. And while providing all possible support to Somalia, we are also continuing our humanitarian aid activities. In Sudan, the conflict that has been going on for over two years saddens us deeply. Stopping the bloodshed in Sudan and establishing sustainable peace is the shared responsibility of the international community, and Turkey's efforts in this direction will continue. The Great Lakes region has suffered greatly from years of ongoing instability and conflict. Our hope is that these conflicts in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will give way to lasting peace and stability. We wholeheartedly support the efforts being carried out under the mediation of the U.S. and the facilitation of Qatar. The increasing terrorist activities in West Africa, particularly in the Sahel Basin, are also of great concern to us. We will continue our unwavering efforts to ensure peace, tranquility, and stability for the peoples of this region with whom we share historical ties. Drawing inspiration from the historical double-headed Turkish Seljuk eagle, I would like to emphasize that our relations with Asian countries in Turkish foreign policy are of great strategic importance. We pursue a 360-degree approach in this policy. Within the framework of our Return to Asia initiative, we are deepening our engagement with regional organizations such as ASEAN, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, for example. We will continue to develop new partnerships with Asian countries, and we attach great importance to developing our relations with Latin America and the Caribbean region in a spirit of partnership and a win-win approach. We are determined to further strengthen the friendly ties we have established with all the countries in the region. Esteemed Delegation Members, increasing protectionist trends in international trade and disruptions in supply chains are leading to fundamental changes in the global economy. To successfully address current challenges, we support the reform of rules-based international trade, including the World Trade Organization. I believe access to affordable, safe, and sustainable energy is essential, particularly for developing countries, to be able to achieve their development goals. We are resolutely advancing the strategically important Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor project, which extends from China to Europe. We contribute to the development of world trade with our modern transportation infrastructure and the Baku-Tbilisi Cars Line. On our journey to build a future that respects nature, we are moving forward with determination towards the 2053 net zero emission target. We are pleased to observe that the Zero Waste movement, under the patronage of my wife Emina Erdogan, has grown in waves around the world every year, reaching more people and hearts. In this process, it is no longer a choice for developed countries to fulfill their responsibilities. It has now become an obligation for them. With one of the countries providing the most development aid in the world, we are striving to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve the 2030 goals, and to enable hundreds of millions of people around the world to live with dignity, we advocate for aligning the global financial architecture with the principle of leaving no one behind. And here, let me also particularly draw your attention to the following. While we grapple with geopolitical challenges, humanity is also witnessing an extraordinary leap forward in artificial intelligence, AI. With the transformative power and the benefits offered by these technologies, no society should be deprived of these benefits. AI technologies should be used for the benefit of humanity, not as a new tool of domination. The UN Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries, which we host in Turkey, plays a critical role in closing the digital and technological gap. We have prepared a children's rights convention in the digital world, and we will soon open this up for ratification. I am sure this will create a lot of awareness in this area, and we expect your support for this. On the other hand, in today's world, where racism, xenophobia, and particularly Islamophobia have reached alarming levels, combating these trends that directly threaten the culture of coexistence has now become an essential duty for humanity. It is significant that Mr. Moratinos, High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, has also been appointed as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia. As I stated here last year, the institution of the family is under threat today as never before. Defending the family, consisting of a woman and a man, means defending humanity, defending nature, life, and the future. Turkey will continue to defend the family in the face of ever-increasing attacks. Distinguished Delegation Members, the roots of the UN, established to prevent humanity from experiencing the disaster of war again, are filled with values that will eliminate the dark era we are in. We fully support the UNAT Initiative, launched by Secretary-General Guterres, to make our organization more effective and more efficient. I hope this initiative succeeds as a process that will further strengthen all the activities of the UN. I express our readiness to provide strong support to this process, also driven by our vision of making Istanbul a UN hub. I sincerely believe that it is our shared responsibility to take steps that will restore the founding spirit of the UN in its 80th year. We will continue to say, the world is bigger than five, until a system is established where the righteous are powerful, not the powerful are righteous. Our duty is not to abandon the system, but rather to repair it and to make it work again. Without a doubt, a more just, a fairer world is possible. Turkey will patiently continue its fight for the construction of a more just world. So may God help and aid us all. Once again, let me greet you all with kind regards and thank you. On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Republic of Turkey.