Erdogan calls for end to UN Security Council veto
Türkiye is calling for reform of the UN Security Council that would include abolishing the veto power and doing away with the system of permanent membership.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote this in an article for Bloomberg Opinion on reforming the international system, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.
“The abolition of the veto privilege should be both the starting point and the fundamental strategic goal of any meaningful reform. Reform cannot mean extending the same privilege to other states.”Erdogan said.
The Turkish president pointed out that the pandemic, energy crises, supply-chain disruptions and regional conflicts of recent years have demonstrated that resolving global crises cannot depend on the will of a handful of capitals, while the current structure of the Security Council still reflects the world order established after World War II.
“Within the framework of the General Assembly, a broad coalition must be formed around the principle that no state should have the ability to permanently block the will of the majority of the international community,” Erdogan said.
Turkish President believes that simply increasing the number of permanent Security Council members would not solve the problem, as it would only expand the circle of states with privileged status. Instead, he proposes strengthening the powers of the UN General Assembly and changing the way the Security Council is constituted. Under his proposed model, there would be no permanent members; states would be elected by the General Assembly for fixed terms on a rotating basis, and to return to the Council, they would have to secure the support of a majority of UN member states.
“We cannot build the international order of the future while preserving the hierarchies of the past. The events of the last quarter-century have demonstrated that no balance of power and no international order is permanent,” he stressed.
The Turkish president highlighted changes in the global balance of power, including Asia’s growing economic weight and Africa’s efforts to secure stronger representation, while international institutions have failed to adapt to these changes at the same pace.
He also highlighted the need for greater responsibility on the part of regional states for resolving problems in their respective regions, as such problems cannot be addressed through approaches imposed from outside.
Regarding economic inequality, President Erdogan said it was necessary to guarantee developing countries the right to development and access to the financing they need.
“The expectation that globalization would spread prosperity has not been fully realized. As income inequality has grown, technological and economic dependence has become a new arena of competition… The right of developing countries to development and access to the financing they need must be guaranteed,” the Turkish leader wrote.
According to Erdogan, Türkiye will continue to use its international ties and experience in multilateral diplomacy to advance UN reform, including abolishing the veto, strengthening the role of elected Security Council members and the General Assembly.
Today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will address the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. He is scheduled to speak in the first half of the day and will be the fourth speaker on the first day of the debate, following the presidents of Brazil, the United States and Jordan.
As previously reported, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a video address marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations last year that the UN needs serious reform to continue fulfilling its mandate and should be transformed into a platform representing global justice.
Photo: Instagram/rterdogan
