Türkiye’s participation in intergovernmental organizations like BRICS and ASEAN will not only positively affect the region, but also lead to the creation of a distinct structure, ultimately affecting regional calculations, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, as he highlighted the country’s strategic position and deep-rooted relations with countries in different regions.
"Above all, I believe that our participation and presence in BRICS and ASEAN will change these regions’ arithmetic. It will ultimately inspire the creation of a rather different structure," Erdoğan told reporters at the Turkish House in New York, where he attended the 79th U.N. General Assembly and held various meetings with world leaders.
Noting that Ankara cannot put aside the fact that it has ties with the European continent and Americas, as much as it does with Central Asia, Russia, the Far East and the Baltics, Erdoğan said Türkiye also has deep-rooted relations with the Arab and Gulf countries, as well as Africa.
The president said Türkiye’s location and history were some of the reasons why Ankara is encouraged to create such a diverse partnership.
"We cannot sever our ties with the Turkic and Muslim world just because we’re a NATO member," the president said, adding that both organizations have the potential to boost Türkiye’s economic cooperation initiatives.
Erdoğan also said joining intergovernmental organizations like BRICS and ASEAN do not mean "giving up NATO."
"We do not believe that these alliances or business bodies are an alternative to each other," the president said, adding that those who warn Türkiye against joining BRICS or similar groups, are the same ones as those who have delayed Ankara’s EU accession bid.
"We can never determine our future by taking their views into consideration," he added.
Frustrated by a lack of progress in its accession to the European Union, Türkiye has officially requested to join the BRICS alliance of developing markets as it looks to forge new ties beyond its traditional Western allies.
The BRICS grouping, named after Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, includes some of the biggest emerging economies. At the start of this year, it had four new members: Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Egypt. Saudi Arabia was invited to join, though the kingdom has yet to do so.
The group’s further enlargement could be discussed during a summit in Kazan, Russia, from Oct. 22-24, said the sources. Malaysia, Thailand and Türkiye’s close ally Azerbaijan are among other countries looking to join.
BRICS touts itself as an alternative to what its members see as Western-dominated institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. New members can potentially get access to financing through its development bank and broaden their political and trading relationships.
‘UN defunct, unable to take action’
The president also criticized the United Nations’ inability to fulfill its founding mission.
He strongly opposed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s participation in the U.N. General Assembly, as he’s accused of perpetrating genocide in Gaza, where over 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in less than a year.
"It is truly a source of shame that a criminal who committed genocide in Palestine can appear under the roof of the United Nations," Erdoğan said, adding that it is a betrayal to the memory of babies, children, mothers and fathers, U.N. workers, journalists and others, brutally massacred by Israel.
"Israel is a country that does not have a trace of respect for U.N. resolutions and has violated U.N. principles numerous times," he said.
For decades, Israel has been incessantly violating U.N. resolutions and international law regarding Palestine, as it continues to occupy Palestinian lands, expands illegal settlements, disregards the global body’s calls to halt its attacks in Gaza, and more.
Criticizing the global body for failing to fulfill its founding mission to prevent wars, Erdoğan said the U.N. cannot protect its own workers and cannot hold Israel accountable for killing them.
"The United Nations has turned into a structure that watches an order where the powerful is always right and has lost its functionality," Erdoğan said, adding that the Security Council members are entitled to act as they wish, with no representation from Muslim and African countries.
Noting that he shared his concerns with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Erdoğan said the latter acknowledged them but has no power to take such action.
‘Situation in Lebanon tragic’
Referring to Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon, Erdoğan said the Lebanese people are suffering as they are forced to evacuate their homes in the south.
"We’re talking about Lebanon, which has a population of 6 million people. Where will these people flee to and how?" Erdoğan said.
The president noted that Israel is taking the risk to make life a living nightmare for the people of the region to realize its dream, the same way Hitler did, but he was ultimately held accountable for his crimes.
"But sooner or later, Netanyahu, the Hitler of today, will face this truth," he said.
Türkiye biggest backer of Russia-Ukraine peace
Erdoğan said that Türkiye, as the biggest supporter of Russia-Ukraine peace, is ready to take part in peace discussions between the two countries and wants to take part in the process to bring peace to the region.
"It is possible to end this war through diplomacy and dialogue, but we are unfortunately not close to this at the moment," Erdoğan said, adding that Ankara sees its ability to communicate with both sides as an advantage toward peace.
However, he warned that peace cannot happen if both sides leave aside provocations and arms race, as he said Ankara will continue to strive toward this goal and ramp up efforts.
‘Türkiye to re-evaluate ties with US after November polls’
Regarding Türkiye’s relations with the U.S., Erdoğan said he hopes whoever replaces Biden is not a shadow of the outgoing U.S. president.
He noted that all presidents from the Republican and Democratic parties disappointed Türkiye, especially regarding the F-35 issue.
"We will see if this will continue in the new process," he said, adding that Ankara will wait and see the results of the upcoming elections and re-evaluate relations.
"We will then take our steps accordingly," he said.
NATO member Türkiye has been seeking to modernize its existing warplanes to update its air force and sought to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 jets and nearly 80 modernization kits from the U.S., a deal reportedly valued at $20 billion.
Türkiye made this request instead of a refund for the payment it had made for the next-generation F-35 fighter jets. The payment was issued before it was removed from the multinational program developing the aircraft over Ankara's decision to acquire Russian-made S-400 air missile defense systems.
Armenia wants Türkiye to facilitate peace with Azerbaijan
Regarding ongoing efforts to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the president said Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wants Türkiye to facilitate peace so they can live peacefully as two neighbors.
"This is what we’re pursuing," he said, adding that Ankara hopes to resolve problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia as both sides are in favor of peace.
He continued by noting that peace between the two countries would open doors for new opportunities and gains and the Türkiye-Armenia normalization process would also move forward accordingly.
‘Türkiye needs new constitution for future’
In response to a question about the opposition’s refusal to take part in the constitutional change process, Erdoğan said the People’s Alliance, led by his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), sees the first four articles as a red line.
"We cannot prepare Türkiye for the future without a contemporary, civilian, encompassing and freedom-oriented constitution," he said, adding that it is not possible to keep pace with ongoing realities with a document that was created by coup plotters almost five decades ago.
"We need to focus on the question ‘how should the new constitution be?’ without confining our discussions on the first four articles," Erdoğan said, adding that they do not have any plans to amend the aforementioned articles.
"We have a problem with the coup mentality, which is present in the constitution," he said, adding that Türkiye needs a visionary constitution that will prepare the youth for the future.