Erdogan: International security system has collapsed

Moscow (ANTARA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday (6 November) that the international security system had collapsed, with the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and the conflict between the United States and Iran serving as the clearest examples of this state of affairs.

“We are going through a painful period, in which competition to expand influence is becoming more intense, while values are gradually losing their footing. We are facing crises together; the old world is dying, while a new world struggles to be born,” Erdogan said at the TRT World Forum in Istanbul.

Erdogan added that the international security system established 81 years ago “has collapsed”.

“The system has declared its failure. Millions of people are struggling to survive amid the suffering caused by hunger and poverty. As violence and injustice become commonplace, fewer and fewer people stand up for peace,” Erdogan said.

“Look at the Gaza Strip. Today, in Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble, people are trying to survive among the ruins of their own homes. Yet access to humanitarian aid remains restricted,” the Turkish president said.

In recent years, Erdogan has advocated reform of the United Nations, arguing that the international security system established after the Second World War no longer reflects current geopolitical realities.

The Turkish president has criticised the veto power held by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. He says it prevents other countries from having a say in global decision-making.

Ankara has proposed abolishing the veto, strengthening the authority of the UN General Assembly, and introducing a system for electing countries to serve fixed terms on the Security Council.