12 March 2022; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the situation in Ukraine has revealed major problems within the United Nations (UN) Security Council. Erdogan noted: "If the world had objected to the occupation of Ukraine in 2014, would we be facing the current outlook? Those who were silent on Crimea in 2014 now speak up, is justice valid only for a part of the world?" referring to Moscow's unilateral annexation of Crimea.
This came in a speech delivered by the Turkish president at the launch of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, with the participation of various heads of state and international organisations.
Erdogan renewed his criticism of the UN Security Council's dispute resolution mechanism, in which the five permanent members of the UN Security Council decide the fate of the 193 member states of the organisation, which he considers unfair.
He stressed that the problem with the Security Council lies in the voting system: "When one of the conflicting parties becomes a permanent member and has the right of veto, the binding role of the UN Security Council is disrupted."
The Turkish president stressed the need to: "Create a new global security architecture that is keen on peace and serves all humanity instead of the interests of the five Security Council countries (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France)."
Erdogan also made it clear that the gathering of Russia and Ukraine in the first high-level meeting in Antalya shows that the Antalya Diplomacy Forum has begun to achieve its goals. This was with reference to the tripartite meeting of Russian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
The Turkish president also pointed out that "2 million Ukrainian refugees have joined the list of refugees around the world, thus increasing international challenges," explaining that he had conducted extensive diplomatic calls with 30 heads of state regarding the Ukraine crisis.
Erdogan expressed his hope that calm, restraint and the silencing of weapons would prevail as soon as possible in the Russia-Ukraine war, adding: "We are facing a devastating scene in Ukraine, where innocent civilians are dying, and cities are being destroyed."
Erdogan also described the behaviour of Western countries towards Russian writers, especially novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, as similar to the conduct of the Mongols led by Hulagu when they burned books in Baghdad. Erdogan noted that while he supports the struggle of the Ukrainian people: "Racism towards citizens of Russian origin cannot be accepted."
