Turkey hits back at Netanyahu’s ‘vile’ comments on Erdogan at UN

Turkish presidential communications director Burhanettin Duran lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations general assembly, after Netanyahu had described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “a super-spreader of antisemitic lies” who “illegally occupies northern Cyprus”. “Netanyahu’s impudent and vile words targeting our president cannot render his massacres, the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza, and the processes before international law invisible. The situation is also being seen by the international community, and Netanyahu has become more isolated than ever,” he said. He also stressed that “the issuance of an arrest warrant by the international criminal court against genocidal Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and his use of the UN rostrum for baseless accusations against Turkey and our president … are incompatible with the ideals of peace, law, and dialogue represented by the UN”. “Under the leadership of our president, Turkey will continue to defend the rights of the oppressed, including our Palestinian brothers and sisters, a more just world, and peace, and we will stand against injustice and oppression,” he said. Related Articles • Netanyahu tells UN Erdogan ‘illegally occupies northern Cyprus’ • Erdogan: Turkish Cypriots’ equal international status must be recognised • Cyprus a ‘litmus test’ of UN’s credibility, Mitsotakis tells general assembly • Christodoulides calls out Erdogan’s ‘highest form’ of hypocrisy Netanyahu had said in his speech at the UN general assembly that Erdogan is a “tyrant” who “hosts the Hamas terror chiefs”, “has murdered thousands of Kurdish civilians”, “denies the Armenian genocide”, and “jails journalists and opposition leaders”. “In fact, I think he holds the world’s record on this. It is a tough call, but I think he’s number one. He illegally occupies northern Cyprus, an EU member, and he regularly transgresses against Greece, a Nato member. Now, he wants to take over Syria. That’s not surprising, because he calls for Israel’s destruction almost every single day,” he said. He added that Erdogan “says he is going to be the ruler of Jerusalem”, before saying “no, sir, you won’t”, because “this is our country, our city, our capital”. Four heads of government referenced Cyprus problem at UN general assembly A total of four heads of government made reference to the Cyprus problem during their speeches at this year’s UN general assembly, with Erdogan also speaking on the matter when he gave his address on Tuesday. “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”. In response, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides used his address to accuse Erdogan of “hypocrisy of the highest form”. “References to international law, to the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, to illegal occupation, to the drama of refugees. Yet, in relation to Cyprus, Turkey is doing exactly the opposite. Hypocrisy of the highest form,” he said. He said that Erdogan had, during his own speech, “quoted extensively from the UN charter”, but stressed that “politicians are judged not by their words, but their deeds.” “Mr Erdogan, if you want to quote from the charter, you must first apply it. The UN security council has established the framework for the settlement of the Cyprus problem. That framework, of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, remains the only basis on which a comprehensive settlement must be reached,” he said. Mitsotakis described Cyprus as ‘litmus test’ of UN’s credibility Later, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described Cyprus as a “litmus test” of the UN’s credibility, saying that the eastern Mediterranean “still bears an open wound – the unresolved Cyprus issue”, and that “52 years have passed since Turkey illegally invaded Cyprus and continued to occupy it”. This, he said, constitutes “a flagrant violation of international law whose consequences persist to this day for the United Nations”. “Cyprus remains a litmus test of its credibility, of its ability to uphold its own resolutions and the principles of the charter, and Greece fully supports the recent efforts of Secretary-General Guterres to create the appropriate conditions for the resumption of substantive negotiations,” he said. He added that “we sincerely hope that progress can be achieved during his remaining time in office”, with Antonio Guterres’ second and final term as UN secretary-general expiring at the end of December. “We expect these efforts to continue under his successor with the same objective: the reunification of Cyprus, free of occupation forces, and in accordance with the relevant UN security council resolutions,” he said.