Erdoğan Calls for Abolition of UN Security Council Veto Power and Stresses Turkey's Role in European Security

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said reform of the United Nations Security Council must begin with the abolition of the body's veto power, proposing a system with no permanent seats in which members are elected by the General Assembly for fixed terms.

In New York for the UN’s 81st General Assembly, Erdoğan used a Bloomberg opinion piece to examine the structure of international institutions. Meeting representatives of the US business community, he said Turkey wanted to strengthen cooperation with the United States in defence, energy and trade.

In his article entitled "The UN must abolish the Security Council's veto power," Erdoğan argued that the Council still reflects the balance of power that emerged after World War II.

Contending that global challenges such as pandemics, energy crises, supply-chain disruptions and regional conflicts cannot be left to the will of a handful of capitals, Erdoğan stressed the need for a more effective, fair and accountable system of representation.

Erdoğan said adding new permanent members to the Council would not solve the problem of decision-making authority being concentrated in the hands of a small number of states.

"Scrapping the veto privilege must be both the starting point and the key strategic objective of any meaningful reform. Reform cannot mean extending the same privilege to other states."

Describing his appeal as a call for a broader understanding of responsibility, Erdoğan urged the drawing up of a concrete roadmap for reform. He proposed building a broad coalition within the General Assembly around the principle that no state should be able to permanently block the will of the majority of the international community.

At the UN’s 74th General Assembly in 2019, Erdoğan referred to the five permanent members of the Security Council, saying: "The world is bigger than five. The time has long since come to change our mindset, our institutions and our rules."

The veto power at the UN Security Council is held by the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France.

Rotating elections instead of permanent seats

Under the model put forward by Erdoğan, Security Council members would be elected on a rotating basis by the General Assembly for limited terms. Countries wishing to stay on would have to stand for re-election and secure the support of a majority of member states.

Erdoğan argued that this arrangement would strengthen the Council’s representativeness and enhance its accountability to the General Assembly.

He said the current international system falls short in preventing new wars, reducing inequalities and responding to shifting power dynamics, adding that institutions have failed to adapt to transformations spanning the economy, security, technology and diplomacy.

Erdoğan noted Asia’s growing economic weight, Africa’s desire to be represented in a way that matches its potential, and the fact that developing countries are voicing their priorities more forcefully. He argued that global problems cannot be solved with methods imposed from outside.

Erdoğan also called for guarantees for developing countries’ right to development and access to finance.

"In today’s world, it is clear that lasting peace cannot be built by multiplying separate blocs that are cut off from each other and do not talk to one another. For a 'fairer world', we must bring together the experience, capacity and will of different regions on common ground."

European security and Turkey

Speaking fourth at the General Assembly, Erdoğan said it is "not possible for a Europe to be stronger or safer if Türkiye is excluded from its security architecture."

That reminder relects comments Erdoğan made last year as he sought to position his country as a point of stability in an increasingly tumultuous world, saying Turkey is essential for European security.

"It has become clear once again that European security is unthinkable without Turkey. Turkey is ready to take responsibility for European security in the future as well," he said at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

As trans-Atlantic relations cooled under the Trump administration, NATO member Turkey, which has the alliance's second-largest military and a well-developed defence industry, is seeking a broader role.

The White House has warned that the continent must look after its own security, including Ukraine, and has so far shown no willingness to back a largely European force in Ukraine in the face of Russian hostility.

Turkey has emerged as a key broker in the Black Sea region, preserving relations with both Ukraine and Russia. Erdoğan and Trump have both spoken of their close personal relationship.

"I believe that our relations with the United States will flourish in every field during President Trump's second term, also with the contribution of our close friendship with him," the Turkish president told an audience of world leaders and diplomats.

Turkey applied for European Union membership in 1987, but progress on that application has been at a standstill since 2018.

A European Parliament report last year said the accession process cannot be relaunched in the current circumstances, despite Ankara's geopolitical and strategic importance.

The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, and human rights violations were all pointed out as signs of democratic backsliding.