ERBIL () - cErdogan reaffirmed his country’s full support for efforts to strengthen state authority and consolidate stability in Iraq, while emphasizing the importance of strategic cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad in transportation and energy.
Erdogan made the remarks on Tuesday, during an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he outlined Türkiye’s position on current regional and international issues.
Erdogan pointed to bilateral coordination between Ankara and Baghdad, saying Türkiye is working with Iraq on strategic transportation and energy projects that he said would contribute to improving prosperity across the region.
“At the forefront of all of these is the Development Road project,” Erdogan said.
He also reiterated Türkiye’s “full support” for efforts aimed at strengthening state authority and consolidating stability in Iraq.
Turning to the Palestinian issue, Erdogan expressed concern that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had been unable to attend the UN General Assembly for a second consecutive year.
He called on countries that have not yet recognized an independent Palestinian state to reconsider their decisions and take practical steps.
Erdogan also addressed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying that more than 74,000 people had been killed there over three years as a result of what he described as “Israeli state terrorism.”
“Gaza has now become a camp of death and the largest cemetery for children in the world,” Erdogan said.
He added that more than 1,500 people had been killed even after a ceasefire was announced, describing Gaza as a place where humanity had been stripped of its dignity and as a source of shame for the current era.
Erdogan also spoke about developments in the West Bank, saying the area was suffering from violence and attacks by Israeli settlers.
He said Muslims were being prevented from accessing their holy sites.
The Turkish president also strongly criticized the functioning of the United Nations and the structure of its Security Council.
He said the UN had been established to protect peace and security but argued that it was currently unable to fulfill that responsibility or was being deliberately prevented from doing so.
Erdogan said the Palestinian side had expressed its agreement with the second phase of the peace plan, while Israel, he said, had not abandoned its occupation.
He also criticized an international system that, in his view, is limited to decisions by five countries, saying such a system could never be just.
