Erdoan welcomes continued dialogue with SCO amid system collapse

Speaking at a session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said the pillars of the current rules-based international system are shaking in the face of multiple challenges.

He said Trkiye was ready to engage in further dialogue with the SCO while stressing that the current system had lost its legitimacy after its inaction in the face of Israel's killing of thousands of children in Gaza.

The theme of the summit is strengthening multilateral dialogue for sustainable peace and development, and Erdoan stressed that it is appropriate at a time when a rules-based international system is being shaken. Challenges, such as terrorism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, irregular immigration, climate change, delays in supply chains, energy and food security issues, only aggravate the current geopolitical tremors, he said.

The latest tragic example of this change is in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza. Indiscriminate attacks in Gaza have claimed the lives of some 40,000 innocent people and injured some 90,000 Palestinians, he said.

The debris that buried more than 16,000 innocent children is, in reality, debris from the international system that has lost its legitimacy, he said.

Israel must be stopped and forced to accept a permanent ceasefire. To achieve this, more pressure must be put on Israel, Erdoğan told the heads of state.

Erdoan often criticizes Western countries for turning a blind eye to Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, which amount to genocide. Long before the new round of conflict between the Palestinians and Israel, Erdoan was a vocal critic of the current structure of the United Nations, where Western countries have more influence. He advocates reforms within the UN and other international bodies under the slogan “The world is bigger than five,” referring to the five members of the UN Security Council who have blocked attempts at peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and others in the past.

“We certainly have principled countries that sincerely raise their voices in the face of all the crises facing the international order. We repeatedly point out the weakness of the current order. We are working to build a new international system in which the just are the strong, instead of a world where strong countries pretend to be right, a system to eradicate global injustice and combat economic inequality. Our goal is to establish a strip of peace in our region and beyond, based on diplomacy based on humanitarian values,” he said.

The President said that Turkey knows very well the bloody nature of terrorism, as it has been fighting the PKK, its Syrian branch, the YPG, the Glenist Terrorist Group (FET) and Daesh for years. Our experience in combating terrorism shows that international cooperation is essential to counter this threat. We are ready to strengthen our dialogue with the SCO to this extent, he said.

Erdoğan also mentioned Turkey's hosting of more than 4 million displaced people and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and Afghanistan, while expressing Turkey's willingness to create synergy with the SCO in this area.

He cited the New Asia Initiative, which aims to strengthen ties with Asia, the ancestral homeland, in all areas, based on mutual advantages and priorities. In this context, we attach importance to strengthening our relations with the SCO, which represents the ancient tradition of consultation in Asia and a ground for multilateral dialogue. We will continue our cooperation with the SCO to contribute to its goals, especially in the areas of energy and interconnection, he said.

Bilateral discussions

On the sidelines of the summit, Erdoan has held talks over the past two days with his counterparts in Astana. On Wednesday, he held a trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. On Thursday, he met first with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and then with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The meetings were held behind closed doors, and officials did not comment on the topics discussed by the leaders during the meeting at the hotel where Erdoan was staying.

The Turkish Presidency Communications Directorate said Erdoan and the Emir of Qatar discussed bilateral relations, the Israeli attacks on Palestine, the Israeli threat to Lebanon and other regional and international issues. Erdoan stressed the danger of Israeli aggression spilling over into the region and urged the international community, the Islamic world in particular, to take swift action to stop Israel. Erdoan also stressed the importance of stepping up efforts to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ensuring a steady flow of aid to the region, the directorate's statement said. The directorate also said Erdoan discussed bilateral relations and regional and global issues during his talks with the Mongolian president and stressed the importance of strengthening relations between the two countries, which have deep cultural and historical ties.

He then held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping before meeting again with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Sabah's Daily Newsletter

Stay up to date with what's happening in Türkiye, the region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.