Türkiye’s oft-repeated motto the “world is bigger than five” echoed again at the G-20 Summit hosted by India in New Delhi. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reiterated his country’s call for reforms in the international body United Nations, in a fair way.
“It is a must to empower regional representation in the United Nations Security Council,” he said on Thursday at a foreign ministers’ meeting as part of the summit. He said reforms should not be limited to the Security Council and should include international finance agencies, as well as World Health Organization (WHO). “Reform efforts should focus on the greater good, rather than personal expectations (of countries),” he said. “For instance, an increase in the number of permanent members of the Security Council, with more countries with the right to veto, will only worsen the current inefficiency of the Security Council. Our call is essentially this: 'the world is bigger than five,'” he said.
Çavuşoğlu noted that reforms can also help in overcoming the development deficit, noting that implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and supporting least-developed countries to that extent was crucial. The top Turkish diplomat noted that the estimated cost of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was around $4 trillion and Türkiye was doing its best to cover the costs. He highlighted that Türkiye was among the top three countries contributing to the development, per its gross domestic product (GDP).
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has long criticized the unrepresentative nature of the Security Council’s five permanent members. He argues that because the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia – use their veto power for their own interests, the disadvantaged countries are paying an "unfair price." "It is not possible for the U.N. Security Council, which acts by considering the priorities of only five permanent members, to prevent conflicts and establish peace, stability and security," Erdoğan said last year.
Minister Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye’s approach to the issue was “one emphasizing multilateralism.” “We are in an era of swift transformation. We need a critical analysis of the international system and the role of international organizations. Efficient multilateralism and a rule-based system are two indispensable concepts,” he said. “A body is as healthy as its heart and the United Nations is the heart of the international system,” he added.
The minister said any development efforts cannot be properly achieved without food and energy security and the conflict in Ukraine brought back those two issues to the forefront, noting that Türkiye took action for food security. “The Istanbul grain deal we mediated together with United Nations helps every household in the world and we are working hard to extend it. We are not a big energy producer but actively help the energy security of our region. (The international community) has high expectations from the G-20 on this issue. We should have a stronger platform and display stronger leadership,” he said.
Çavuşoğlu’s remarks came one day after a similar statement by U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Speaking at an oversight hearing at the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, Thomas-Greenfield said she launched a discussion at the Security Council in September during the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly and noted U.S. President Joe Biden's call for reform. "We have to make this council more inclusive and more representative," she said. But she stressed that the "permanent five" was built into the U.N. charter, adding: "I can't change that. But we can change, and add additional permanent members, as well as additional elected members of the council," she said. She said she has been engaged with countries in all regions in the last few months with the "idea of moving forward on some kind of reform that allows us to bring new countries into the Security Council."
"Japan currently is an elected member. India was elected a member for the past two years and both of them have expressed desires to be permanent members," she said.
The efficacy of the U.N. Security Council has been questioned, especially after the Russian war against Ukraine. Russia, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, is accused of using its veto power to block resolutions related to Ukraine. During the General Assembly in September, Biden, among other leaders, brought up the issue, calling to expand the council's membership, saying permanent seats should be granted to nations in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Çavuşoğlu also attended the 23rd edition of the meeting of foreign ministers of the MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Türkiye and Australia) Türkiye hosted on the margins of the summit. At the meeting, Türkiye formally handed over the group’s chairpersonship to Indonesia.
Speaking there, Çavuşoğlu thanked MIKTA members for their support to Türkiye in the aftermath of the Feb. 6 earthquakes, which claimed thousands of lives in the country’s southeast.
Reflecting upon Türkiye’s MIKTA leadership, the minister said their priorities in this role have been global health, efficient migration management and food security, noting that the issues were determined based on the “spirit of the times” and challenges the countries faced.
The minister said the Istanbul grain deal was a very important instrument to defeat the global food crisis and listed Türkiye’s efforts, from joint declarations to activities of Türkiye’s diplomatic missions.
He said that under Türkiye’s leadership, MIKTA provided humanitarian support for Rohingyas in Bangladesh and highlighted that all MIKTA members were countries with important roles in development and humanitarian relief. He voiced his faith that the members can improve their joint activities based on their experience and capacity. “We are going through important times and the international system is exposed to a change, triggered by multiple crises. We believe efficient multilateralism is the best response to the challenges. We believe in the need to end isolationist, unilateral policies,” he said.
