President Erdoan Calls For UN Reforms: Fate Of 193 Members Determined By Five Countries, Unfair

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkiye)

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday again called for United Nations (UN) reforms, calling now the right time to do so.

"The system in which the fate of 193 UN member states is determined by five countries is unfair. The system needs to be reformed again," President Erdogan was quoted as saying by TASS on March 12.

"When we say the world is more than five countries, we are trying to protect the common rights and interests of all mankind. We are not doing it in the interests of our own country," said President Erdogan.

This is not the first time the Turkish president has criticized the UN. He states the need for reform almost every year when speaking at the UN General Assembly.

President Erdogan, speaking in Angola's parliament on a visit to the country in October 2021, said the fate of humanity should not be left at the mercy of the 'a handful of countries' that won World War II.

Talking about the inequalities that persist in the global system, he said "the world is more than five", referring to the five countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council, which have gained the status of victors in wars.

Separately, commenting on President Erdogan's remarks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, President Erdogan's eloquence is well known, and he speaks freely on various topics.

"I agree with him that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council do not have the right to dictate the fate of the world, and they do not aspire to do so," he explained.

"It aspires to have the powers enshrined in the United Nations Charter reflecting the collective will of all members of the world community, and the five members bear special responsibility for the state of affairs in the world, especially to prevent global conflicts," concluded Foreign Minister Lavrov.