The United Nations needs "structural reform" to make it more inclusive and ensure that it is able to fulfill its mission towards world peace, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday in New York City.
Erdoğan attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Turkish House, a planned 32-story cultural center across the street from the 65-year-old UN headquarters.
"Despite all its shortcomings, the UN remains the sole global umbrella organization where everyone can make their voices heard and seek solutions to their problems," Erdoğan said. "However, the world is not the world during which the UN was founded."
Erdoğan said the structure of what is arguably the most impactful UN organ, the Security Council, is unjust, resulting in a global organization that is unable to perform its duties as a vanguard of world peace.
The Council features 15 members, 5 of which are permanent -- the victors of the World War II. One veto from a permanent member is enough to derail any resolution tabled at the Council.
"The UN needs to be reformed so that it can adapt to a changing world," Erdoğan said. "Today, reforming the UN is on the agenda. However, that reform is not what we understand from the word 'reform'."
The Turkish president was referring to a reform-themed meeting Monday at the onset of the UN General Assembly, attended by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump, who has made UN reform one of the goals of his four-year tenure, said during the meeting that the global body suffered from "bureaucracy and mismanagement".
Erdoğan has on numerous occasions said "the world is bigger than five", a reference to the permanent Security Council members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
These countries have used their veto power to defend national interests, rendering the UN dysfunctional in the face of global crises. The most recent example has been the Syrian war, which has continued for six and a half years and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions.
Despite myriad attempts to find common ground, Russia-a close ally of the Syrian regime-has shielded the Damascus government from international pressure.
ERDOĞAN TAKES FIRST STEP TO BUILD NEW TURKISH HOUSE IN NEW YORK
Turkish President Erdoğan participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Turkish House, which is located in Manhattan, right across from the United Nations Headquarters, as part of his visit to the U.S within the framework of the U..N General Assembly.
The old building, which had been long used by Turkey as a building for consular affairs and permanent representation, was pulled down to construct a new one. The new planned Turkish House is expected to be a 32-story building that symbolizes Turkey's growing power in the world.
President Erdoğan said ahead of his visit to the U.N. General Assembly, "The new 32-floor building will be worthy of Turkey's honor as it is in the downtown and constructed right across from the U.N. Headquarters."
The new Turkish House is expected to overshadow the U.N. building, the U.N. Plaza and the building of the U. S.'s U.N. permanent representation that is 171 meters high (561 feet). The new Turkish House is expected to be finished in 2021. It is planned to be a building that features Turkish culture, history and multiplicity with Turkish architecture motives. It will also be a green-friendly building with "LEED Silver" certificate.
As well as participating in the groundbreaking ceremony, President Erdoğan had a very busy schedule Monday. He visited and received several institutions during his visit. Erdoğan first attended the U.N. meeting on reforms hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump early on Monday. Prior to an interview with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the American public broadcaster and television program distributor, he held a meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at the lunch. Erdoğan also received representatives from Jewish institutions. In the last stage of his Monday program, the president attended a panel held by the Economic and Social Research Foundation (SETA).
Tuesday is also expected to be a busy day for President Erdoğan. He will participate in the opening ceremony of the U.N. General Assembly and deliver a speech. The president will also hold meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, King Abdullah II of Jordan, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Kosovo President Hashim Thaci . He will also meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and British Prime Minister Theresa May. He will attend a lunch in honor of the president of committees.
President Erdoğan will be participating in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) contact group meeting on the Rohingya Muslims, a panel hosted by May on "Forced Labor, Modern Slavery and a call for action on human smuggling," with a reception hosted by European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans, and EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini. At the end of the day, the president will attend a reception hosted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in honor of the president of committees and their spouses.
President Erdoğan is expected to deal with key issues such as the upcoming planned referendum of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Rohingya Muslims crisis in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, President Erdoğan was welcomed very sincerely by Turks living in the U.S. A group of Turks carrying Turkish flags and banners gathered in front of the Peninsula Hotel, where Erdoğan and the Turkish delegation will stay during the visit, to greet the president and show their support.
President Erdoğan is accompanied by Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdağ, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak, as well as Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik.
