Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of TurkeyPhoto: UN Web TV
During the General Debate of the 81st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (New York, 22 - 26 and 28 September 2026), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, said that Gaza “has become the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time”, also lamenting that after the ceasefire, more than 1,500 in Gaza have been killed.
Turning to recent settler violence in the West Bank, he said, “we are faced with a genocidal mindset that can never get enough of killing”.
The situation is “shocking”, he stressed, noting that the United Nations has been rendered incapable of fulfilling its missions in crisis zones, including in Lebanon and Sudan.
Calling for trust to be restored in the international system, he welcomed the UN80 Initiative while cautioning: “If we are truly committed to restoring confidence in the UN, the steps are clear: children in Gaza must be safe.”
Turning to recent settler violence in the West Bank, he said, “we are faced with a genocidal mindset that can never get enough of killing”.
The situation is “shocking”, he stressed, noting that the United Nations has been rendered incapable of fulfilling its missions in crisis zones, including in Lebanon and Sudan.
Calling for trust to be restored in the international system, he welcomed the UN80 Initiative while cautioning: “If we are truly committed to restoring confidence in the UN, the steps are clear: children in Gaza must be safe.”
He called for Security Council reform, noting that “the world is bigger than five.” Moreover, “international law must not be applied differently for the strong than for the weak”, he said, decrying impunity and warning that “such a system is doomed to decay”.
He also highlighted his country’s defence alliance with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who are working together to address the conflict in the Gulf, adding, “Any efforts to spread these clashes to neighbouring regions serves no one’s interest.”
Turning to his country’s relationship with Europe, he recalled July’s “successful” NATO summit in Ankara, stressing that “A Europe that excludes Turkey from its security architecture cannot possibly be stronger or safer.”
His country’s security strategy will be shaped with this in mind. Also, listing several threats to children, including technology, he condemned “gender neutralization policies” that have targeted kids, urging the protection of the institution of family consisting of women and men.
“Turkey will continue to take initiatives to protect the family despite attacks from certain lobby groups,” he said.
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UN Summary; Last update made on September 22, 2026.
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