“We will continue to wage this struggle until a global order is established, which puts people in the center, prioritizes justice and equity, and where the right is powerful rather than the powerful being

Wishing the TRT World Forum 2021 would lead to auspicious results for the world, region, and country, Erdoğan extended his gratitude to all members of scientific, media, and political communities who would contribute to the forum both from home and abroad and congratulated the TRT Administration, as well as the institutions and organizations who made a contribution to the event.

Reiterating that for a long time, humanity had been grappling with a major health crisis that had economic, social, political, and humanitarian implications, Erdoğan said, "The Covid-19 pandemic, which came into our lives about two years ago, is still dominating our agenda, though its influence has waned. The pandemic's aftershocks are still being felt in a number of areas, particularly in the economy. Obviously, it will take time to get back to normal life after such a massive crisis."

Pointing out that what happened throughout this period revealed that nothing in the world would ever be the same again, Erdoğan stated that pandemic, which had left its mark on the past two years, had profoundly changed people's perspectives on themselves, the society they lived in, and global politics.

"The institutions in charge of ensuring peace and justice in the world have failed once again"

Emphasizing that the contradictions and paradoxes of the global system had been brought to the surface as never before, Erdoğan said, "It has been seen how vulnerable the health and social assistance infrastructures of states are, particularly those at the top of the world's welfare rankings. In the face of this crisis, which threatens the future of all humanity, the institutions in charge of ensuring peace and justice in the world have failed once again. While underdeveloped countries and poor segments of society have been left to their fate, and protectionism in trade has intensified, supply chains have been disrupted. With the economic difficulties, hate crimes in western countries have reached a terrifying level."

Erdoğan stated that while the concept of "social state" had been gravely harmed, income disparities had grown, animosity towards Islam and anti-immigrant sentiments had surged once again, and made the following remarks:

Indeed, statistics reveal the threats that await us, our citizens and all humanity, even if they are only the tip of the iceberg. Rather than confronting the animosity towards Islam, which has penetrated society like a cancer cell, European politicians are calculating how to exploit it, turn it into political rent, and win votes. As a politician who has been drawing attention to these threats for many years, our concerns have grown further as a result of what we have witnessed. To be honest, we are disappointed to see that a historic opportunity to ensure global peace and justice has been squandered.

Unfortunately, we were unable to properly capitalize on the coronavirus pandemic in terms of cooperation and solidarity, although it reminded us once again that we are one big family. It would be a simplistic and flawed approach to attribute up to 5 million fatalities globally to the virus or poor healthcare. The existing system, which defends the powerful over the vulnerable, supports exploitation over sharing, and encourages greed, selfishness, and avarice over contentment, is the most crucial reason for the emergence of this picture.

"The need for reform in the UN and other international organizations can no longer be disregarded"

Erdoğan underlined that the system, whose foundations were laid following World War I, and solidified after World War II, has failed to produce justice and stability for a long time, adding, "It is impossible for this system to continue in its current structure, in which the Islamic world has no say, the demands of Africa, Latin America, and South Asia are ignored, and only the interests of the five most powerful countries are taken into account. The need for reform in the United Nations and other international organizations can no longer be disregarded."

Recalling that as Turkey, they have been voicing the need for reform for many years with the motto "The world is bigger than five," Erdoğan stated that they had recently shared their tangible proposals on that with the nation and the rest of the world, declaring that "A fairer world is possible."

Erdoğan said that instead of simply criticizing, they had proposed a principled, comprehensive, strategic, and applicable model for the United Nations that would ensure equal representation and abolish the veto privilege, and noted the following:

During our talks at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, we were especially pleased to learn that our country's efforts had been reciprocated. We are determined to take this struggle, which we are waging on behalf of all oppressed people and victims, to a much higher level. We will continue to wage this struggle until a global order is established, which puts people in the center, prioritizes justice and equity, and where the right is powerful rather than the powerful being right. I believe that the discussions at the TRT World Forum, which will be held under the theme 'Power and Paradox: Understanding Grand Strategy in the 21st Century,' will open up new horizons for us.

Erdoğan also wished the Forum success. (ILKHA)