Experts from Türkiye and Russia, as well as invitees, attended the panel moderated by Orhan Gazigil, Advisor to the Directorate of Communications, and held at a hotel in Moscow, the capital of Russia.

Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for the Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, inaugurated the panel, which was attended as a listener by Mehmet Samsar, the Ambassador of Türkiye to Moscow.

Bystritskiy remarked that he was pessimistic about the current standing of international institutions, including the UN, and added, “In the past, there used to be a wish that communist or capitalist nations could coexist, take a step towards the future, and advance humanity. Such a wish no longer exists.”

Bystritskiy emphasized that no one, including the UN, knows how regulations can be made, especially in areas with no borders, such as the digital or finance sector, and stated, “I believe the greatest obstacle is figuring out how to structure the UN so that it becomes an organization where everyone can rationally solve their own problems. If we are able to develop such an intellectual model, the UN will be an influential international organization.”

“UN reform is unquestionably overdue”

Ambassador Andrey Baklanov, Vice-Chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats and Head of the Middle East and North Africa Studies Section of the Higher School for Economics, also voiced several criticisms regarding the UN's current functioning.

Baklanov emphasized that the international order requires the UN's mechanism to become more effective and said, “UN reform is unquestionably overdue. However, simply changing the number of participants would not bring about the desired reform at the UN. No matter how much we alter the number of participants, we cannot remove the participants' parting ways or conflicts.”

Baklanov stated that he agreed with Türkiye's argument that the UNSC is unable to perform its current functions, adding, “Although we do not agree that the veto rights of the five members of the UNSC should be abolished, we believe that vital and powerful countries such as Türkiye should be part of this structure.”

“President Erdoğan deserves to receive the Nobel Prize”

Russian journalist and military expert Igor Korotchenko stated that the world was moving towards an order of chaos that international institutions could not manage.

Underscoring the significance of the demand of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye for reform at the UN, Korotchenko said, “When we look to the west, we see them arguing amongst themselves and attempting to disrupt the world order. Erdoğan, on the other hand, is one of the few leaders in the modern world who can envision global goals for the future. He is taking on very important initiatives by analyzing the future and recognising the past.”

Noting that President Erdoğan has taken very significant steps in a pivotal year such as 2022, Korotchenko said: “I think, and this is the opinion of many Russian experts, Erdoğan deserves to receive the Nobel Prize. Such statesmanship is certainly worthy of the Nobel Prize.”

Korotchenko stated that the “The UN is bigger than five” initiative should also be carefully examined, adding: “I believe that if the UN is to be reformed, it should be done gradually. There is a possibility that efforts to make a direct, straightforward change will be prevented. I believe that Russia and Türkiye can and should expand their cooperation, particularly during this time of global turmoil.”

Director of the Centre for Contemporary Türkiye Studies in Russia, Amur Gadjiev, stated that Türkiye's foreign policy had become significantly more effective recently.

Gadjiev said, in reference to Türkiye's pragmatic and swift actions in various regions, “Türkiye demonstrates to its neighbours that it is a key player in the global order.” (ILKHA)