Here are the highlights from Erdoğan's speech: I am very pleased to be with you at the International Justice Summit Istanbul 2026 program. You are all welcome to our beloved Istanbul and Türkiye, which connects continents and hearts, and you have brought joy. Through you, I send my most sincere greetings on behalf of myself and my nation to all our friends and brothers living in your countries. I hope that the International Justice Summit will be beneficial for our countries, our people and all humanity. I sincerely hope that the panels and consultations held within the scope of the summit will lead to concrete and applicable results.
"I ESPECIALLY EXPRESS THAT I FOUND THESE SESSIONS VERY VALUABLE"
I would particularly like to express that I find these sessions, which cover both current and comprehensive issues such as international humanitarian law, energy conversion law, international justice in the digital world, migration and responsibility sharing, very valuable. In this sense, I would like to express my gratitude to all participants who expressed their ideas and opinions over two days and contributed to the summit with their evaluations. I sincerely hope that this summit, organized with the theme of the future of justice and common responsibility for humanity, will create a common ground in the fields of justice, the rule of law and international cooperation, strengthen the dialogue and interaction between different legal systems, and give new impetus to legal diplomacy activities. I wholeheartedly congratulate our Ministry of Justice, Mr. Minister and his team for successfully hosting the summit, and I also convey my congratulations and appreciation to all my brothers and sisters who contributed to the organization.
"JUSTICE IS THE COMMON GOAL, COMMON IDEAL OF HUMANITY"
Dear guests, I would like to underline this point right at the beginning of my words. Look, we are now together in this historical hall with our guests from different countries and different regions. The states of which we are citizens and the nations to which we belong have different constitutions, legal systems, and legal and administrative legislation. Likewise, each state and each nation represented here has its own legal tradition, set of rules and different customs. But no matter how different our legislative processes, trial procedures, and ways of applying the law are, I think the thought that comes to all of our minds when we say justice is the same. Justice is giving justice to the righteous. Justice means that the weak should not be oppressed by the strong. Justice is the power to protect the oppressed from the oppressor. Justice is the foundation on which the state is built. In this respect, justice is the common goal, common ideal and common ideal of humanity. We are all very clearly aware of these facts. There can be no justice where conscience and fairness are abandoned. There can be no justice in a legal system where equality before the law is ignored. Likewise, justice cannot find a place for itself in an environment where the balance of reward and punishment is not well established and rights and freedoms are gradually eroded.
"EVERYONE NOW KNOWS THAT THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS NOT FAIR AND SUSTAINABLE"
Dear friends, each of these issues is valid within the international system with all its actors and institutions. Just as the fundamental responsibility of the state is to dispense justice, the primary mission of the international system, which is claimed to be based on rules and principles, is to establish global peace and security. As a matter of fact, the first article of the United Nations Charter, which was signed in San Francisco 81 years ago and forms the legal basis of today's system, is about the preservation of international peace and security. We all know that international peace and security cannot be achieved without justice. Today, unfortunately, we are faced with an international system that has been severely damaged in terms of representation, function and legitimacy, and has suffered an erosion of trust and reputation. We are all aware that a structure in which the will of more than 190 countries under the umbrella of the United Nations depends on the decisions of only five members with veto privilege is not fair and healthy. Even though some people insist on not seeing the elephant in the room, everyone now knows that the current system is not equitable and sustainable. International law is almost suspended. International agreements have, so to speak, become obsolete. Decisions made by international courts are equally unenforceable. Principles, norms, rules at the center of the system, all of these have been trampled on.
Dear friends, I am not saying these for heroism, polemics or agitation. On the contrary, these are harsh realities that we must face. Let's face it, there is a system that is in your hands no matter how you choose. And we all witness the problems this system causes on a global scale. The gap between countries is gradually widening in many areas, from access to education and technology to the fight against the climate crisis, from food security to income inequality. While a part of the world tries to hold on to life under extremely limited conditions, in poverty and poverty, another part of the world, living in luxury and ostentation, benefits from all the blessings of the system. I ask, is it fair that a handful of elites, numbering barely 60,000 worldwide, have three times more wealth, income and opportunities than 4 billion people? Is it fair? Is it fair and equitable for developed countries, which get rich by recklessly polluting the environment, to leave alone the countries that have almost no impact on climate change? Can we say that there is no problem in the system in a situation where crises trigger conflicts, conflicts are followed by wars, and wars result in instability? Don't we all experience structural problems in the system in every field, from energy security to trade routes, from logistics and transportation corridors to technological and civil infrastructure?
"THE CONGRESS IN HORMIS HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED FOR MONTHS, DESPITE ALL THE EFFORTS"
See, this is very important. The blockage in Hormuz, through which 35 percent of global oil exports pass, has not been resolved for months despite all efforts. The war between Russia and Ukraine, which has been going on for four and a half years, still continues with thousands of casualties every month. We all see what is happening in Lebanon, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and many other parts of our region and the world. Most importantly, people have been brutally murdered in Gaza for three years in front of the eyes of the whole world. Civilians are being brutally martyred. More than 74,000 Gazans, mostly children and women, were murdered. Schools that should not have been touched even in war were destroyed. Universities, hospitals and places of worship were hit. Thousands of children lost their hands, feet or parts of their body. Gaza was turned into the world's largest concentration camp by an arrogant, radical and murderous genocide network that sees itself above international law.
"Türkiye HAS STATED ITS ATTITUDE VERY CLEARLY"
