Erdogan: Turkish Cypriots’ equal international status must be recognised

The “sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people” must be recognised, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, as he addressed the United Nations general assembly in New York. “I call upon the international community to recognise and establish political, diplomatic, and economic relations with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” he said, before adding that “the inhumane isolation to which [the Turkish Cypriots] have been subjected must finally come to an end”. He also made reference to Turkey’s maritime disputes with both Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, saying that “in the Aegean Sea and in the eastern Mediterranean, we wish to see existing issues resolved on the basis of good neighbourly relations and in accordance with international law”. Additionally, he made reference to plans for an “eastern Mediterranean conference” to be convened, bringing together leaders from the region to discuss regional issues. While speaking of the region, he also said he wished to “express … sadness” that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “has been unable to take his place in this hall for two consecutive years”, with the United States having rejected his application for a visa, “This injustice against our Palestinian brothers and sisters wounds the consciences,” he said, before saying that “though Abbas cannot be present here in person, we will, just as we did last year, continue to serve as the voice of the free and sovereign state of Palestine and to proclaim the fight of the Palestinian people to the world from this podium”. He then said that the 12 months since the previous UN “high-level week” have “gone down in history as one of the bloodiest periods of the last 30 years”. “From Gaza to Ukraine and Russia, from Myanmar to Darfur, from Iran to Lebanon, 250,000 people have lost their lives. Many more have endured indescribable suffering. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to leave the lands where they were born and raised,” he said. ‘Gaza is the most inhumane concentration camp of our time’ He added that “in Gaza alone, over the past three years, 74,000 of our brothers and sisters, most of them children and women, have fallen victim to Israel’s state terrorism”. “The people of Gaza are still searching for their loved ones beneath the rubble. They are uncovering the bodies of their spouses, children, mothers, and fathers. Innocent children who have lost their arms and legs in Israeli attacks are trying to attend school and hold on to life with prosthetics made of wood,” he said. He added that in Gaza’s hospitals, “more than 70 per cent of generators are currently out of service due to fuel shortages”. “As a farther and a grandfather who cherishes his children and grandchildren dearly, I must state the following from this podium with my heart torn apart: Gaza is not merely the world’s largest graveyard for children, it is also the territory with the highest rate of child amputees in the world. Gaza is the most inhumane and most shameful concentration camp of our time,” he said. Away from Gaza, he said that “in the West Bank, we are witnessing the most severe period of settler terrorism”, and that “in Jerusalem, Muslims and Christians are being prevented from accessing their holy sites”. “This is not Tayyip Erdogan’s personal issue, this is a humanitarian issue. It is a matter of conscience for us all. Before us stands a genocidal mentality which can never get enough of killing. Before us stands an extremely dire situation. No one who holds humanity, compassion, and mercy in their heart, with a sense of justice and conscience, can turn a blind eye to this reality,” he said. Later in his speech, he made reference to the defence alliance his country established with both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, saying that “we are all strengthening solidarity among us and aiming to generate solutions to the problems in our region from within the region itself”. Erdogan warns against headscarf bans in schools He also spoke of “social threats” facing humanity, saying that “Islamophobia, which is spreading like a plague in the West, is at the forefront of these issues”. On this front, he said that “we regard the headscarf bans introduced by schools in certain countries as an attack on most women’s fundamental rights”, with one such jurisdiction being the Turkish Cypriot authorities, with thousands of Turkish Cypriots taking to the streets to successfully thwart the ruling coalition from repealing the ban. He also said that “rising xenophobia, cultural racism, and anti-semitism are also toxic trends which must be combated with determination”. He then closed his speech by saying that “either we will deepen uncertainty through fear, conflict, and isolation, or we will build the future together through justice, solidarity, and a common will”. “It is, of course, easy to punch the darkness. The difficult thing is to light a candle which will dispel that darkness. Turkey has chosen the second path and hopefully will follow it with patience,” he said. “As Tayyip Erdogan, the president of a great nation guided by its conscience, its history, and its compassion, God willling, for as long as God grants me life, I shall continue from this rostrum to defend the rights of the oppressed, the aggrieved, and the voiceless, to be their voice, to speak on their behalf, and to fight for them.” Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides will address the UN general assembly on Wednesday, while Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will both give their speeches on Thursday.