Turkish President Erdogan Addresses UNGA
In his speech at the U.N. General Assembly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan focused heavily on criticizing Israel for its actions during the Gaza War, while notably avoiding any condemnation of the terrorist groups that instigated the conflict.
He opened his address by expressing dissatisfaction with Israel’s hesitance to establish a Palestinian state and highlighted the U.S.’s denial of an entry visa to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who has remained in office for 17 years beyond his elected term.
“This injustice against our Palestinian brothers and sisters deeply offends the conscience of humanity,” Erdogan stated. He emphasized that, despite President Abbas not being present, they would continue advocating for a free and sovereign Palestine, just as they had done the previous year.
The Turkish leader urged all countries that have yet to recognize Palestine to rethink their stands.
Erdogan’s remarks largely accused Israel of perpetrating terrorism and genocide in the Gaza War. Strikingly, he did not mention Hamas, the group that initiated the hostilities with a brutal attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, though he did make a vague reference to the “Palestinian Resistance.”
It’s interesting, perhaps telling, that Erdogan has never admitted to Turkey’s own historical genocide against the Armenians, which resulted in a significantly reduced population of the victims—an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed during this period.
“Over the last three years, we have lost 74,000 of our brothers and sisters, the majority being women and children,” he remarked, attributing these losses to what he labeled as acts of state terror by Israel.
Erdogan described Gaza as “the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time.” He acknowledged some diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire led by former President Donald Trump and himself but accused Israel of persisting in its occupation.
“We are faced with a genocidal mindset that can never get enough of killing,” he asserted, maintaining his focus solely on Israel, without mentioning the actions of the terrorist groups that instigated the war.
He asserted that children in Gaza deserve safety and should see kites in the sky rather than military aircraft, reflecting a hope for peace devoid of conflict. Again, he failed to acknowledge Hezbollah, a terrorist group that recently escalated tensions in Lebanon by attacking Israel with missiles.
Interestingly, Erdogan did not address Turkey’s own military actions in Syria against the Kurds, even while advocating for Turkey’s principles and ignoring the authoritarian practices within his own government. He did celebrate the downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad and expressed support for the current regime.
Erdogan portrayed Turkey as a committed peacemaker and a vital ally in Europe and NATO. He cautioned against any moves to expel Turkey from NATO, claiming that excluding Turkey would weaken rather than strengthen Europe’s security.
He also discussed the “climate crisis” to segue into his proposal for naming Turkey’s former food commissioner, Mehmet Mehdi Eker, as head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
Furthermore, Erdogan raised concerns about the rise of “Islamophobia,” labeling it as a widespread issue in the West. He noted a marked increase in discrimination against Muslim women and girls, framing the headscarf bans in certain countries as assaults on fundamental rights.
Interestingly, Austria had implemented a ban on Islamic headscarves in schools, and Erdogan seemed particularly concerned about recent discussions in Italy about similar measures.
He concluded by addressing the threats posed by artificial intelligence, arguing for the establishment of an international legal framework to regulate it. He stressed the urgency in developing the U.N. International Convention on Artificial Intelligence.
