Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's presence at the UN General Assembly, which he considered a "shame."
''It is truly a source of shame that a criminal (Netanyahu), who committed genocide in Palestine, can take his place under the roof of the UN. This is a betrayal of the memories of the babies, children, mothers, fathers, UN officials, journalists, and many others who have been brutally murdered,'' Erdoğan told reporters Wednesday at the Turkish House in New York.
Netanyahu departed for New York in the early hours of Thursday, the Prime Minister's Office said. The Israeli premier is expected to address the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on Friday, according to local media.
"The UN General Assembly will either treat the murderer (Netanyahu) as he deserves or this shameful situation will go down in UN history as a black mark," he added.
The UN is in a position where it is unable to fulfill its mission to prevent wars, unable to protect even its own officials, and unable to hold Israel to account for killing them, Erdoğan said.
He also stressed the UN has lost its functionality and become a structure that guards a system in which "might is right."
Israel has pounded Lebanon since Monday morning, killing at least 677 people and injuring over 2,500 others, according to figures released by the Health Ministry.
Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.
The international community has warned against the strikes on Lebanon, as they raise the specter of spreading the Gaza conflict regionally.
Regarding his address to the General Assembly, Erdoğan said he shared views on key issues that are significant for maintaining global peace and security.
"In the case of Gaza, I clearly expressed once again that the current international system and institutions have failed to fulfill their primary duties. I pointed out that it is possible for humanity to live in a much fairer world that listens to the voices of the oppressed," he said.
Erdoğan held a series of bilateral meetings in New York with world leaders such as the German chancellor, Ukrainian president, Greek premier, and UN secretary-general.
These meetings, Erdoğan said, were focused on bilateral cooperation issues and the various crises in the region, with particular emphasis on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Underlining the need for an increase in aid to Palestine before winter, he also urged all countries to intensify pressure on Israel.
"Israel is indeed resorting to every means to spread the fire in Gaza throughout the region, just as we have warned for months. The attacks on Lebanon are the latest example of this. Over 600 Lebanese have been massacred in the past week," he said.
"As the world remains silent and the Western countries continue to provide military support to the Israeli administration, these massacres will unfortunately continue. We highlighted this danger in our talks," he added.
Referring Israel's recent attacks on Lebanon, Erdoğan said there is a serious trauma occurring in Lebanon.
The Turkish president said he is following the evacuation process in southern Lebanon. "It really gives pain to us. Our region is facing such a cruel and terrible picture. We are talking about Lebanon, which has a population of six million. Where will these people escape to?"
Some 13,500 Syrians have left Lebanon for Syria since the start of Israeli airstrikes on Monday, the Lebanese interior minister said on Thursday.
Several countries urged their citizens to leave Lebanon and strongly advised against traveling the country till further notice.
The U.S., EU, and nine other nations called on Israel and Hezbollah late Wednesday to agree to a 21-day cease-fire amid an escalation in their cross-border warfare.
Netanyahu, however, denied media reports that he agreed to the proposed cease-fire, saying that he ordered his army to keep striking Lebanon with full force.
Türkiye's potential membership in BRICS and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would "change the arithmetic of the regions," Erdoğan said.
"We cannot put aside the fact that we have ties with Europe and America as much as we have ties with Central Asia, Russia, the Baltic region or the Far East. Türkiye has a deep-rooted history with the Arab region, Gulf countries, as well as close relations with Africa," he added.
Erdoğan emphasized Türkiye's unique position bridging multiple regions and alliances.
Türkiye's history encourages the country to build diverse partnerships, he said, rejecting claims that Türkiye's membership in other organizations would conflict with its NATO membership.
"Being part of these organizations does not mean giving up on NATO," Erdoğan said, underlining Ankara does not see these alliances as alternatives to each other.
"Just because we are a NATO country, we cannot cut our ties with the Turkic world and the Islamic world," he added.
Erdoğan stressed that BRICS and ASEAN offer economic cooperation opportunities, viewing these alliances as complementary to Türkiye's existing partnerships.
He criticized those opposing Türkiye's membership aspirations to other organizations, saying that they are the same people who have long delayed the country's EU accession. "We can never determine our future by looking at them," he said.
Addressing domestic economic concerns, Erdoğan expressed optimism about Türkiye's economic trajectory since implementing a new program last June.
"We have started to rein in inflation and started the permanent disinflation process," Erdoğan said, emphasizing that international institutions now recognize the program's success.
Erdoğan pointed to a steady decline in inflation rates, projecting an accelerated pace of improvement in the coming months.
Underlining that Türkiye has achieved it in "a region with turmoil and instability," the president said Türkiye will continue on this path in a "disciplined manner."
"My hope is that the new leadership won't be worse than the previous one," Erdoğan told reporters.
"The F-35 issue was not something we experienced only during Donald Trump's term; all administrations have been a disappointment. Both Republicans and Democrats have caused disappointment. We will see if this continues in the new era," he said, referring to Türkiye's exclusion from the fighter jet program by the U.S., which Ankara has long called an unfair, unwarranted move.
Erdoğan stressed Türkiye's pursuit of the $1.45 billion it is owed from the F-35 fighter jet program, stating: "This is not a small amount. We will continue taking steps to collect what we are owed." He added that Türkiye would reassess its relationship with the U.S. after the election, depending on the new administration's approach.
Erdoğan also touched on Türkiye's involvement in peace efforts between Ukraine and Russia, reiterating Türkiye's willingness to host a potential peace conference. "We are perhaps the country that desires a just peace the most in the Ukraine-Russia war," he said. "Diplomacy and dialogue can end this conflict, but unfortunately, we are not close to that at the moment."
He highlighted Türkiye's unique position as a negotiator, maintaining open lines of communication with both Ukraine and Russia, and vowed to continue efforts toward peace.
Asked if the prospect of a Ukraine peace conference, or even one held in Türkiye, was raised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when they met on the UN sidelines, Erdoğan said: "We have said that we are ready to take part in this conference. In the same way, both Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and our intelligence organization will be in contact with them. We hope that, as Türkiye, we will take part in bringing peace to the region."
He added: "It is possible to end this war through diplomacy and dialogue. As long as both warring parties and other actors believe that we can solve the problems in this way. Unfortunately, we are not close to that at the moment."
Stressing that Türkiye's ability to negotiate with both Ukraine and Russia is an advantage on the road to peace, Erdoğan said: "If we can walk this difficult path and reach our goal, we will be doing a great service to humanity. Until the parties abandon provocations, the arms race, and a system in which weapons, not people, speak, the hope for peace will not be born in a concrete way. But we will continue to search for that hope without giving up. We will step up our efforts and work harder."
Asked about Türkiye's value in NATO, Erdoğan cited outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's comments on Türkiye's importance to European security. He stressed that Türkiye remains a reliable NATO ally, fully aware of its responsibilities.
Erdoğan said that Stoltenberg maintained relations with Türkiye in the most ideal way throughout his term as NATO chief and that he did not leave a destructive legacy with Türkiye.
"Let's see how this situation will continue with Mr. Rutte," said Erdoğan. "We had a good friendship with the new Secretary General Mark Rutte during his term as prime minister of the Netherlands. I hope we will continue this solidarity and this unity with the NATO Secretariat."
"International organizations that stray from their founding values risk degeneration," Erdoğan warned. "If NATO's core principle of 'All for one and one for all' starts to erode, it will face serious problems," he added, referring to the famed Article 5 of the NATO charter.
"Measures must be taken and implemented without delay. Especially when it comes to a vital issue such as security, there should not be an inch of deviation from principles. Türkiye is a reliable ally that is aware of its obligations and responsibilities within NATO and fulfills them completely. We see that Europe knows how valuable Türkiye is for NATO, but sometimes ignores it," Erdoğan added.
On relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan, Erdoğan shared insights from his meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Turkish House.
"The Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process will open doors for greater regional cooperation and positively impact the normalization of relations between Türkiye and Armenia," Erdoğan said.
He added: "When we look at Mr. Pashinyan's approach, it doesn't appear negative. They want Türkiye to help facilitate the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and ensure that they live peacefully as neighbors as soon as possible. We are already pursuing this and working towards it."
"My hope is that we gradually resolve and settle these developments between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and by overcoming these difficulties between them, we can move forward. Both sides are actually in favor of peace. Azerbaijan is currently engaged in this expectation and effort, and we have seen the same in Armenia. We believe that the climate of peace and tranquility that will emerge will be in everyone's best interest. Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan will open the door to new opportunities for both countries. The normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia will also be positively impacted by the successful conclusion of this peace process."
