Turkey

Mr. President, the session of the General Assembly over which you are presiding marks the last to be held this century. We are about to turn a new leaf in history. It is, therefore, a time for reflection, a time to reap our lessons and draw our conclusions. It is also a time to reorganize our goals, priorities and our agenda for the next century. Therefore, there is a recurrent theme throughout this session. We all try to assess what we have achieved and where we have failed in the twentieth century. As we look back on our performance, we observe that within every success story, we also somehow had our failures. The twentieth century has witnessed unprecedented scientific progress. These achievements, however, were not used solely to advance the human cause and to improve the quality of life. To a very large extent, these scientific and technological innovations were also used as instruments for the destruction of life. Throughout the century, there was an enormous accumulation of wealth. But the vast majority of the world's population is deprived of this wealth. Poverty, and sometimes even hunger, is still their fate. This century has produced great intellectual achievements and depth. But it has also been the stage of distorted ideologies which produced tyrannies and sometimes encouraged practices like ethnic cleansing. In other words, while the twentieth century created technology and generated material and intellectual wealth, it could not organize the means to put them totally to the service of humanity as a whole. This is our failure. This is the challenge we face. This is what we must overcome. The global issues we face, whether political, economic, social or environmental, will from now on require further intensification of our concerted efforts. As the primary forum for international cooperation, the United Nations will continue to be the focal point of our collective endeavours. The wealth of experience accumulated by the United Nations, together with the plans of action devised to address the challenges we face, must now be put to more effective use. The millennium summit next year should provide the guidance needed to place our assets to work more efficiently in the twenty-first century. A little over a month ago, one of the deadliest earthquakes of the century struck the northwest of Turkey. This is the most populous region of my country. The devastating quake claimed more than 15,000 lives, and thrice as many were wounded. It left about half a million people homeless. We have, undoubtedly, derived great fortitude from the exemplary display of solidarity and the swift response of the international community. The best qualities of human nature were at work: sharing the other's agony and lending a hand to help heal and to reconstruct. I would like to convey the gratitude of the Government and the people of Turkey to all Members, the international community, the United Nations system, along with the numerous volunteers and individuals who stood with us at our most trying hour. We express our deep feelings of sympathy for and solidarity with those affected by the earthquake near Taipei. In the face of the recent wave of earthquakes, we believe this Organization can take a further step with regard to natural disasters. This would be in keeping with the greater role of the United Nations in our lives. That is why my country, together with our neighbour Greece, which also suffered a similar calamity recently, is introducing a draft resolution to the General Assembly. This was eloquently announced by my Greek counterpart, George Papandreou, yesterday in the General Assembly. We hope that it will receive Members' support. On the eve of the twenty-first century, Turkey looks forward to enhancing its contribution to international peace and stability. At the epicentre of Eurasia, it aspires to broaden the scope of cooperation and prosperity, while it continues in its traditional role of connecting continents and civilizations. 37 More specifically, Turkey is actively involved in the efforts to secure peace and stability in the Balkans, the Middle East, the southern Caucasus region and Central Asia. We also partake in their democratic and economic development efforts. Turkey enjoys the vast potential of historical and cultural affinities with many of the countries in the Caucasus region and Central Asia. We will work for the resolution of the various conflicts in the region and continue to foster ever closer relations with all of them. Cooperation can rapidly lead the peoples of this region to higher levels of wealth and prosperity. Central Asia will certainly witness tremendous economic development, given its rich human and natural resources. Turkey, lying at the hub, will become an energy terminal, connecting in more ways than one, the wealth and resources of Eurasia. We see the mega-projects of the next century realized in our country and our region. We are committed to the vision of a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future in south-eastern Europe. We will continue to bring forth our resources and contributions to that end. The need for a large-scale and long-term stabilization and reconstruction programme for the entire region, and more urgently for Kosovo, is evident. We therefore welcome the stability pact for South-Eastern Europe. In this context, it is important that the agreements and arrangements on Kosovo are fully implemented, along with the continuation of support and assistance to Albania and Macedonia. As the wounds of the Bosnian tragedy are yet to be healed, the provisions of the Dayton Peace Agreement must be strictly observed and implemented. The tragedies in the Balkans have taught us to be absolutely cautious and balanced in addressing conflict, whether ethnic or otherwise. We do not have the luxury of acting upon selective memory or one-sided preferences. We cannot afford to impose solutions that do not correspond to the realities and to the aspirations of the peoples concerned. A case in point is Cyprus. Until 1974 the Turkish Cypriots suffered a great deal in protecting their legitimate rights and interests. There can be no return to those dark days. A just and lasting compromise in Cyprus today can only be based upon the existing realities. There are two separate peoples, two separate States in Cyprus. These two States should be able to solve their differences through their own free will. In the meantime, there could be steps to improve the atmosphere between the two sides by lifting the unjust embargo on the Turkish Cypriots and by also adopting deconfrontational measures, as proposed by the United Nations Secretary-General. On our part, we believe that the confederation proposal provides the basis for a realistic and viable settlement in Cyprus. We are encouraged by the recent developments in the Middle East peace process. Once mutual tolerance and understanding start to fully reign over this region, we believe all nations will display fully their historic economic capabilities and their wisdom. My country will continue to actively support the aim of reaching lasting peace and security in the Middle East. Following an exchange of letters with my Greek counterpart, George Papandreou, about three months ago, our two countries, Turkey and Greece, initiated joint committees to work on specific issues. Since then high- ranking officials of the Foreign Ministries held two rounds of meetings and explored the possibilities of promoting cooperation. Committees were mandated in the fields of tourism, environment, trade, culture, regional cooperation and the fight against organized crime, illegal immigration, drug trafficking and terrorism. Both sides are agreed that there is scope for further cooperation in these fields and identified specific projects to this end. Turkey has the will to carry this process to other spheres of our relationship. Following the earthquakes that struck the two countries, the emotions and solidarity displayed by the Turkish and Greek peoples demonstrate that the two peoples will not accept confrontation and tension as a way of life, and that they prefer friendship. This powerful message of our peoples will help our Governments to move forward with greater confidence. Turkey will this year host the last summit of the century. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit to be held in Istanbul in November will set the stage for important decisions. The outcome will play a significant role in shaping the future security and cooperation architecture in the Eurasian landscape. Our political resolve to promote peace and stability over such a wide horizon is on record. Given the opportunity, we are prepared to take upon ourselves even greater responsibilities. 38 Turkey has presented its candidature for membership on the United Nations Security Council for 2001-2002. We want to contribute to the making of the next millennium as a member of the Council. We ask for Members' support. The compelling lesson to be drawn from the twentieth century is that our highest priority should be the protection of the dignity of humankind and the enhancement of the quality of life. Whether it is to halt aggression, to stop crimes against humanity, to purge societies of racist and xenophobic tendencies, of cultural and religious intolerance, to combat international terrorism, to provide humanitarian assistance, to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor or to secure sustainable economic and social development, we should act as an international coalition — that is, as the United Nations. Let us make the twenty-first century the new age of nations united for a more humane and prosperous era for all.