Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a stark warning against Western attempts to redraw Middle Eastern borders during his address at the 51st OIC Foreign Ministers' Council on Saturday. He condemned what he termed a "new Sykes-Picot order," referencing the 1916 secret pact between Britain and France that carved up the Ottoman Empire. "We will not allow borders to be drawn in blood," Erdogan declared, urging Islamic nations to unite against Israeli aggression and regional destabilization.
Erdogan described conditions in Gaza as surpassing the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, noting 2 million Palestinians have endured Israel’s 21-month assault. He cited UN-verified figures of 55,000 Palestinian deaths—65% women and children—and 128,000 injured, emphasizing Türkiye’s shared grief with Palestinian families. He labeled Israel’s strikes on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran as "acts of banditry," blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu as the "greatest obstacle to peace".
Expressing confidence in Iran’s resilience, Erdogan affirmed Iran’s "natural, legitimate, and legal right to self-defense" against Israeli "state terrorism". His remarks followed Israel’s June 20 strike on Iran’s Khondab nuclear site, which targeted a reactor capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium. The attack has intensified the conflict, with Iran reporting 430 deaths and 3,500 wounded since June 13, while Israel confirmed 24 fatalities. Iran retaliated with drone strikes on Ben Gurion Airport, prompting Israel to assassinate a senior IRGC commander in Qom.
Erdogan welcomed Syria’s reintegration into the OIC after years of isolation, stressing the Islamic world must support Syria’s "territorial integrity and lasting stability". He pledged Türkiye’s "multidimensional support" for reconstruction, framing Syria’s return as a "hopeful new chapter". This development coincides with UN reports of surging violence in Damascus suburbs, where sectarian clashes have killed over 100 civilians. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned both the internal strife and Israeli airstrikes violating Syrian sovereignty.
With the OIC facing what Erdogan called "shifting global balances," he urged the 57-member bloc to evolve into a cohesive "pole" in a multipolar world. He called for sustained funding for UNRWA (which will soon open an Ankara office) and an end to Palestinian divisions. The session also addressed Libya’s fragmentation, where rival governments in Tripoli and Benghazi perpetuate instability. The African Union recently pushed for a national reconciliation charter, though key factions rejected it.
Critics, including Erdogan, cautioned that Israel’s justification for attacking Iran—countering nuclear threats—echoes the "flawed intelligence" that precipitated the Iraq War. The 2003 invasion unleashed "decades of bloodshed" and empowered terrorist groups, a pattern repeated in US-led interventions in Syria and Libya. Guterres appealed for de-escalation, urging all parties to "give peace a chance" amid fears of a regional conflagration.