Erdogan Urges Countries to Recognise Palestinian State
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on countries that have not recognised a Palestinian state to reconsider their positions, while also urging reform of the United Nations Security Council.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Erdogan criticised the current structure of the Security Council and argued that its five permanent members have disproportionate influence over decisions affecting the wider international community.
Erdogan said the United Nations had struggled to fulfil its role in maintaining international peace and security and called for a more inclusive system of global decision-making.
He also addressed the situation in Gaza, expressing strong criticism of Israel’s military campaign and calling for greater international pressure to end the conflict.
The Turkish president referred to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s absence from the UN General Assembly for a second consecutive year. Abbas was unable to travel to New York after the United States again denied him a visa, according to Reuters.
Erdogan urged countries that do not currently recognise Palestine as a state to review their positions and called for increased international efforts toward ending the Gaza conflict.
Turkey has been among the countries that have strongly criticised Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Ankara has described the actions as genocide, while Israel rejects that allegation.
Erdogan has also repeatedly called for changes to the UN Security Council, including a broader representation of countries in its decision-making structure. Russia has separately supported expanding permanent membership but has said the existing veto system should remain.
