Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for reform of the United Nations Security Council and wider recognition of a Palestinian state on Tuesday, while urging countries to increase pressure on Israel and begin Gaza's reconstruction without delay.
Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Erdogan argued that the international body had become unable to fulfill its responsibility to preserve peace and security.
Erdogan called on countries that have not recognized a Palestinian state to reconsider their positions and said efforts to prevent its establishment would ultimately fail.
He expressed support for an independent, territorially integrated Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Erdogan also highlighted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' absence from the General Assembly for a second consecutive year, saying Türkiye would continue to speak in support of a free and sovereign Palestinian state.
Turning to Gaza, Erdogan described severe humanitarian conditions and called for reconstruction efforts to begin immediately.
He said more than 70% of generators at Gaza's hospitals were out of service because of fuel shortages and accused Israel of continuing attacks despite the October 2025 ceasefire.
Erdogan urged UN members to exert greater pressure on Israel to end the conflict.
Erdogan linked the conflicts in Gaza and other regions to what he described as weaknesses in the international system, arguing that the UN had been rendered unable to carry out its founding mission.
He renewed his longstanding demand for Security Council reform, criticizing a structure in which five countries hold disproportionate influence over decisions affecting more than 190 member states.
Beyond Gaza, Erdogan addressed conflicts and diplomacy across Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
He reiterated Türkiye's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, backed stability efforts in Syria and Iraq, and called for regional disputes to be addressed through diplomacy and international law.
Erdogan also called for an international legal framework governing artificial intelligence and said Türkiye would place climate justice at the center of COP31 in Antalya.