Turkey

At the outset, I wish to extend our sincere congratulations to Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session. I would also like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session, Mr. Srgjan Kerim, for his able leadership during his past term. For Turkey, the United Nations Charter reflects the common aspirations and conscience of humanity. The United Nations provides a political and moral compass for our endeavours towards a just international order — a better order that will prevent new conflicts, ensure that human rights are upheld and lead to more equitable and sustainable distribution of prosperity. In this framework, we believe that the most pressing task before the international community is to bridge, as quickly as possible, the enormous gap between the wealthiest and the least fortunate. We have certainly made considerable progress in that direction, including towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals; however, our common fight against poverty, illiteracy, epidemic diseases, child mortality and climate change is still far from over. On the contrary, volatile fuel prices, the food crisis and the global economic slowdown have brought about an even 21 08-51570 more challenging development and security environment. Under such circumstances, the fight against terrorism, racism, xenophobia and all forms of religious discrimination and extremism takes on particular importance. We must indeed remain extremely vigilant against the risk of further alienation between different cultures and religions. In that respect, we regard the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, which we cosponsored with Spain under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General, as an important instrument that can help us avoid such a dangerous track. Turkey will continue to be a leading country in further advancing the goals of this initiative which enjoys worldwide backing, including from the European Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. We hope that the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations, which now consists of 14 international organizations and 76 countries representing different regions ranging from Latin America to Africa and Asia, will keep growing. In this vein, we look forward to hosting the second Forum meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations in Istanbul next April. As I said, a top priority issue on our agenda is the need to address the problems of the developing world. There is no question that developing countries should get all the assistance they need to achieve sustainable development. They must be supported under a renewed global development agenda and through increased foreign investments and enhanced trade facilities. For its part, Turkey is trying to contribute to this endeavour, first and foremost through increased development assistance. Turkey also provides special facilities for development, health, education and agricultural projects in various parts of the world. As a result of such fast-growing aid programmes, Turkey is now recognized as an emerging donor country by the international community. The United Nations Ministerial Conference of the Least Developed Countries which Turkey hosted in Istanbul last year has clearly demonstrated our commitment to humanitarian and development assistance. We have now offered to host the Fourth Ministerial Conference. Similarly, the first-ever Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit held in Istanbul last month provided an important opportunity to explore new avenues of cooperation with the African continent. Turkey is also committed to combating global warming, which has serious implications for the entire world, but more so for the developing countries. Driven by that conviction, we are taking active part in negotiations to shape our new global climate change agreement, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. Turkey also pays special attention to the global water crisis. In that regard, we hope that the Fifth World Water Forum which we will host in Istanbul next March will inspire new thinking and concrete action on this important question. If I may now turn to the political issues besetting our region, I am pleased to note that Turkey has been actively contributing to the advancement of peace by facilitating dialogue. We have also been working hard to build a sense of co-ownership of regional issues among our neighbours through a series of regional cooperation initiatives. Encouraged by its strong regional ties, Turkey has launched another initiative designed to prevent further conflict in the recently traumatized South Caucasus. In that regard, I believe that the Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform proposed by Turkey could be an instrumental framework for building a climate of confidence in the region that will allow discussion of our common problems in a democratic setting. In the light of impressions from my visits to our neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan and those of Prime Minister Erdogan to the Russian Federation and Georgia, all parties concerned seem receptive to the idea; we hope they will give it a chance to work. I sincerely believe that a positive perspective thus created will help to solve frozen conflicts, including occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, on the basis of respect for the principle of territorial integrity. No doubt, such a perspective will also help improve the bilateral ties between the countries of the region. The President returned to the Chair. It is also well past time to settle the conflicts of the Middle East, at the core of which lies the Palestinian question. Turkey actively supports all endeavours to bring about a lasting solution to that central problem and alleviate the plight of the Palestinian people. Turkey is also making every effort to help advance the Syrian and Lebanese tracks. One 08-51570 22 recent example is the indirect peace talks that Syria and Israel started under Turkey’s auspices this past May in Istanbul. In Iraq, too, Turkey stands firmly with the Iraqi people and Government. Besides our bilateral efforts, I am particularly pleased to see that the Neighbouring Countries process, which I initiated five years ago, is functioning well. If the international community’s efforts are to succeed, the Iraqi people need to settle their differences through dialogue and compromise on controversial issues, among them the final status of Kirkuk. Afghanistan is another country where Turkey is investing heavily in the future of a nation with which we have special historical ties. Turkey will continue to contribute to the security of the Afghan people and to their reconstruction efforts. We will also continue our initiatives to create an atmosphere conducive to regional ownership and cooperation, in particular between Pakistan and Afghanistan. That is equally vital for the common struggle against terrorism and for the stability of the region. Finally, an urgent and peaceful settlement of the question of Iran’s nuclear programme, in conformity with International Atomic Energy Agency norms and Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons obligations and respecting the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, remains high on Turkey’s active diplomatic agenda. I am convinced that would-be solutions to individual conflicts in the Middle East will be sustainable only if we adopt a comprehensive approach based on a positive vision for the future. That is why I invite all the parties to give serious consideration to the longstanding idea of collective arrangements for conflict prevention and resolution that would promote regional security and stability by building confidence, facilitating political dialogue and encouraging economic and cultural cooperation in the Middle East. Turkey gives full backing to diplomatic efforts towards a political settlement in Cyprus. The solution lies in the establishment of a new partnership State composed of two constituent States of equal status. The process towards that goal should be based on the United Nations parameters of bi-zonality and the political equality of the two sides. We welcome and firmly support the comprehensive settlement negotiations recently started between the two leaders under the good offices of the Secretary-General. At the same time, I believe that efforts to end the unfair isolation of the Turkish Cypriots who voted courageously in favour of the Comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus Problem in 2004 — a plan that was unfortunately rejected by the other side — are long overdue. Before concluding, I would like to stress the indispensable nature of the United Nations in resolving all those matters. Indeed, without an effective and functional world body, it is impossible to realize the hopes and expectations of our nations. That is why we attach the utmost importance to reforming and further strengthening the United Nations system as a whole. It is also why Turkey is constantly stepping up its engagement in and contributions to all aspects of the United Nations agenda, ranging from development and peacekeeping to human rights. It is also with that sense of responsibility that Turkey has decided to put forth its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for 2009 and 2010. Turkey has not been represented in the Council for nearly half a century, and we believe that the main tenets of our foreign policy, together with our economic, social and cultural attributes, will allow us to bring added value to the work of the Council. I hope that the General Assembly, with its valuable support, will do us the honour of granting Turkey the opportunity to do so.