It is a great
pleasure for me to address and greet the General
Assembly once again from this rostrum in my capacity
as Prime Minister of Turkey on the occasion of the
general debate of the Assembly’s sixty-fourth session.
I would like to congratulate Mr. Ali Abdussalam
Treki on his election as President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. I also wish to
express my appreciation and thanks to Mr. D’Escoto
Brockmann for his able and prudent conduct of the
presidency of the Assembly at its sixty-third session. I
take this opportunity also to thank all the Member
States for the high degree of trust and approval shown
to my country in electing it last year as a
non-permanent member of the Security Council by a
wide margin of support.
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The global problems of our age necessitate
solutions on a global scale, and we therefore need to
work in a determined fashion. From wars to economic
crises, from hunger and poverty to terrorism, from
energy security to climate change, the problems of our
world are extremely challenging. However, none of
them is insurmountable.
If we are to resolve these problems, we need a
fair and inclusive global order that is based on trust
and regards diversity as a source of wealth. It is
possible to make the transition from a conception of
the world based on risk and perceptions of threats to
one that is based on trust and solidarity. Indeed, this
has become a necessity for all of us. To do so,
however, we need a new kind of leadership. We can
indeed make the twenty-first century an era ruled by
peace instead of war; trust instead of fear; justice
instead of injustice; tranquillity instead of terror and
violence; and prosperity instead of hunger and poverty.
It is our common responsibility and historic duty to
participate in the construction of such a world,
regardless of our differences of language, religion or
nationality.
Threats such as terrorism and the proliferation of
nuclear weapons have become sources of worldwide
concern. Problems such as hunger and poverty, the
increased frequency of pandemics, food and energy
security, growing xenophobia and radicalism remain
grave challenges. In addition, global warming and the
financial crisis are fundamental issues that demand
substantial solutions.
Against that backdrop, the relevance and
indispensability of the United Nations has become
even more evident. In order to establish a fair and
participatory global order, we must work together to
enhance the Organization’s efficiency. We certainly do
not despair. We maintain our hope that the achievement
of global peace and stability is within our grasp. We
therefore wish to see the United Nations serve as the
voice and spokesperson of the global public
conscience. We believe that a more representative,
democratic, transparent, just and effective United
Nations will be able to make a greater contribution to
global peace and stability.
The United Nations must become a much more
effective institution on such matters as climate change,
sustainable development, the struggle against poverty,
gender equality and the protection of human rights and
dignity, and we fully support reform efforts to that end.
However, there is no doubt that the reform of the
United Nations system will be incomplete if not
accompanied by Security Council reform. I would like
to underscore once again that Turkey is in favour of
enlarging the non-permanent membership of the
Security Council.
Another important aspect of reform that I wish to
underline is the need to improve the United Nations
peacekeeping system. In this context, we want the
views and expectations of the United Nations troop-
contributing countries, in particular, on such issues as
early and effective coordination, capacity-building and
enhanced cooperation with regional organizations to be
taken into full account.
Turkey continues to be a force for peace and
stability in its region. Especially in the course of the
past seven years, we have made every effort to settle
our problems with our neighbours. Thanks to this
approach, which we call a zero-problem policy with
our neighbours, Turkey has made significant progress
in solving outstanding issues with its neighbours and
has greatly improved its bilateral relations.
The problems of our region have global
implications as well. Therefore, our constructive and
peaceful regional policies serve not only our own
neighbourhood but also world peace. However, we do
not consider those efforts to be sufficient. We seek to
move from a relationship of passive good-
neighbourliness to one of active friendship and
cooperation. The positive impact of this approach on
regional and world peace is well appreciated by all our
friends in the East and the West.
Another concrete example of this approach is our
ongoing dialogue with our neighbour, Greece. Another
case in point is our quest to normalize our relations
with Armenia, which has gained fresh momentum of
late and begun to bear fruit.
We also believe that the conflicts and disputes in
the Caucasus, including but not limited to the problems
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, are issues that need
to be resolved. In this regard, we hope that our regional
partners will share Turkey’s vision for region-wide
peace, security and stability. We believe that the
Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform, which
we launched in the aftermath of the crisis of August
2008, can make a substantial contribution to efforts in
that direction.
33 09-52320
Another issue of great interest to us and the world
is Iraq’s territorial integrity, political unity and internal
peace. We attach great importance to the continuation
of the political dialogue process encompassing all
groups in Iraq and the establishment of national unity.
A clear manifestation of this importance is the
neighbouring countries process regarding Iraq, which
was initiated by Turkey.
In this connection, I also wish to emphasize the
significance of the strategic dialogue mechanism set up
between Turkey and Iraq, which is important in terms
of both the fight against terrorism and other aspects of
our bilateral relations. We are fully committed to
maintaining and further developing this process.
Another area to which Turkey is sensitive is the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In our view, the resolution
of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on the vision
of two States existing side by side in peace and
security, is an indispensable element of regional and
global peace. The achievement of Palestinian national
unity will expedite the establishment of an independent
Palestinian State. Turkey has always stood by the
Palestinian people and will continue to do so.
I wish to draw the Assembly’s attention to the
following facts. The aggression against Gaza carried
out at the end of 2008 quickly turned into a human
tragedy and resulted in the deaths of nearly
1,400 people, most of whom were women and children,
as the result of phosphate bombs. Over 5,000 people
were injured and the infrastructure of Gaza was
completely destroyed. Even United Nations buildings
in Gaza did not escape this destruction. Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon personally witnessed the
devastation and voiced his reaction. The 575-page
United Nations report on Gaza (A/HRC/12/48),
released on 15 September 2009, clearly confirms this
fact.
It has been eight months since the declaration of
the ceasefires that ended the hostilities in Gaza and the
adoption of resolution 1860 (2009). Similarly, six
months have elapsed since the Sharm el-Sheikh
conference, at which the international community
pledged billions of dollars for the reconstruction of
Gaza. However, I regret to say that the human tragedy
in Gaza continues.
People are living in tents and cannot find
drinking water. In the face of this situation, are we
fulfilling our humanitarian responsibility? What can
the United Nations or the Security Council do? What
measures have the United Nations and the Security
Council really enacted? We really must think about that
because the promises made in Gaza have not been
fulfilled.
As at the time of aggression, Gaza has once again
been left to its own devices in the aftermath of the
heavy destruction it suffered. Currently, the
importation of construction materials to Gaza is not
permitted; only food and medication are allowed to
pass through, and the suffering of the people of Gaza
continues.
We demand that these obstacles be immediately
lifted and normalcy restored to Gaza for the sake of the
peace and security of Israelis and Palestinians alike.
The Palestinian question cannot be resolved solely by
satisfying the demands of one party alone. The security
of the Palestinians is as important as the security of
Israel. The Palestinian people’s quest for freedom and
peace is as legitimate as Israel’s quest for stability.
The settlement of the Palestinian question, which
is one of the greatest obstacles to regional and global
peace, will be possible only when everyone is treated
fairly and equitably. On every possible occasion,
Turkey has stressed that it is not possible to turn a
blind eye to the appalling conditions in Gaza, and we
will continue to make that point. It is our common
humanitarian and moral responsibility to ensure that
the tragedy unfolding in Gaza is brought to an end and
that an atmosphere of lasting peace is created in the
region.
It is extremely important that the international
community remain engaged in this matter and inject
new vigour and momentum into efforts to resolve the
problem. We call on all parties concerned not to remain
indifferent to this question and not to condone further
suffering.
We also believe that the resumption of the Israeli-
Palestinian talks, which have been disrupted by the
Gaza conflict, is of the utmost importance. We hope
that the peace process will be revitalized as quickly as
possible. To date, Turkey has made every possible
effort to contribute to the peace process in the Middle
East. The indirect negotiations between Syria and
Israel, which we hosted in 2008, are a case in point.
Depending on the mutual desire of both parties, we are
ready to resume our active role in the future.
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We have always said that our neighbouring
country Syria is a very important country in our region
and is in a position to play a key role in the search for
regional peace, security and stability. Lebanon, too, is
of critical importance to regional stability. Turkey has
expended intensive efforts to ensure that a
comprehensive political compromise prevails in
Lebanon. We will continue to strongly support
Lebanon’s stability in the future.
We also believe that the dispute over our
neighbour Iran’s nuclear programme, which has long
preoccupied the international community, should be
resolved through dialogue. Turkey defends the right of
all countries to benefit from the peaceful use of nuclear
energy. On the other hand, we also call on all countries
to act responsibly and to bear in mind the serious
consequences of the proliferation of nuclear weapons
for the whole world. In that spirit, we supported the
adoption of Security Council resolution 1874 (2009),
on North Korea’s nuclear test last May.
We also closely follow the situation in
Afghanistan and developments in Pakistan. We support
the struggle against extremism by the peoples of
Afghanistan and Pakistan, with whom we enjoy
historical and brotherly ties. We are maintaining our
infrastructure investments in order to help those two
countries achieve the prosperity they deserve. The
ministerial-level meeting of friends of a democratic
Pakistan that we convened in Istanbul in late August is
an indication of the importance we attach to Pakistan’s
stability and prosperity.
I would like to take this opportunity to announce
that, in addition to becoming the lead country on
Afghanistan in the Security Council in 2010, we shall
also assume the chairmanship of the Council’s
Counter-Terrorism Committee. Our strong support for
efforts to achieve security and stability in Afghanistan
and to combat terrorism will continue unabated during
the course of our performance of those duties on the
Council.
The Balkans is another region that we follow
closely. We believe that the integration of the countries
of the region into Euro-Atlantic institutions is
important. That perspective should be maintained.
Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus support efforts to find a comprehensive
solution on the island. The basis upon which such a
solution should be built is right here under the roof of
the United Nations. If all the parties to the current
negotiations were to act constructively, it would be
possible to reach a comprehensive solution by the end
of 2009. We believe that the Secretary-General should,
as he did in 2004, play a role in bridging the
differences on which the parties themselves cannot
agree.
It should be our common objective to submit the
solution to be reached to a referendum in the spring of
2010, at the latest. However, at this juncture, I would
also like to stress that, if a solution cannot be found
due to Greek Cypriot intransigence, as was the case in
2004, the normalization of the status of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus will become a necessity
that can no longer be delayed. It is therefore essential
to realize that negotiations cannot be sustained
ad infinitum, that the current window of opportunity
cannot remain open forever, and that efforts must be
deployed to ensure the success of the process.
I would also like to take this opportunity to
emphasize once again that a comprehensive solution to
be achieved on the basis of established United Nations
parameters, which will secure the founding of a new
partnership in Cyprus, will enjoy the open support of
Turkey as a guarantor Power. A fair and lasting
solution in Cyprus will make a major contribution to
the transformation of the eastern Mediterranean into a
zone of peace, stability and cooperation. I call upon
everyone to do their utmost to help achieve that goal.
In the meantime, the Turkish Cypriot side is still
subject to unfair measures of isolation, despite the fact
that in 2004 it accepted all the sacrifices that the Annan
plan entailed. It is not fair to expect the Turkish side to
pay the price for a lack of a solution. The lifting of
such restrictions on Turkish Cypriots will not only
remove an unjust practice, but also accelerate the
process of resolution.
Turkey continues to participate actively in
peacekeeping operations around the world under the
umbrella of the United Nations, NATO, the European
Union and the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe. We also strongly support least
developed and developing countries in their struggle to
resolve development problems.
In addition, as a party to the Kyoto Protocol,
Turkey is ready to live up to its responsibilities with
respect to a vital issue that concerns the future of our
world. We support the determined efforts being made
35 09-52320
by the Secretary-General in the process of devising a
new climate change regime.
I should also like to draw the Assembly’s
attention to another very important issue that poses a
threat to our world. We should not forget that each
culture and civilization flourishes through the
inspiration provided by the successes of other cultures
and civilizations. As a matter of fact, our common
values today, as well as our science, law and art, have
been influenced not only by the ancient Greek and
Roman civilizations, but also by ancient Eastern
civilizations. From Al-Khwarizmi, the father of
algebra, to Al-Farabi, who laid the foundations of
music; from Ibn Sina, who ushered in a new era in
medicine, to Sinan the architect, who produced the
finest engineering examples of his time, many Turkish
and Islamic scholars, men of learning and artists have
made significant contributions to the progress of
humankind.
It is therefore essential to regard and understand
diverse cultures not as the other, but as individual
elements of humankind’s cultural inheritance, as well
as to inculcate that spirit in new generations. That is
the philosophy that underlies the Alliance of
Civilizations, which has become a United Nations
initiative that has strengthened its institutional
structure under the co-sponsorship of Turkey and
Spain. I have no doubt that the Alliance will make a
significant contribution. We should ensure that it has a
meaningful place in the Organization, as it can make
important contributions to shaping a global civilization
based on universal values centred on democracy, the
rule of law, good governance, human rights, gender
equality, young people and media.
In conclusion, I would like to express my hope
that the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly
will serve the best interests of all humankind, as well
as the interests of peace.