Erdoğan Skips Kashmir in UN Speech for First Time Since 2019

Cover Image Attribute: Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, New York, U...

Cover Image Attribute: Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, New York, U.S., September 24, 2024. / Source: REUTERS

For the first time since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019 by Government of India, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not bring up the Kashmir issue during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. This shift coincides with Turkey's efforts to join the BRICS group. In his address at the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, Erdogan stated, "We maintain our will to develop our relations with BRICS, which brings together emerging economies."
The potential impact of Turkey's BRICS membership on international relations and regional dynamics is a matter of significant interest and speculation. The founding BRICS members—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—decided to expand the group last year. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE officially joined on January 1, 2024. All members are set to participate in the BRICS leaders' summit in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to 24. This expansion, with the potential addition of Turkey, could reshape the global power dynamics and regional alliances, sparking a new era of international relations.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin expected Turkish President Erdoğan to attend the summit after Turkey expressed interest in joining BRICS. Putin is scheduled to meet Erdogan on October 23. If accepted, Turkey would become the first NATO member in the group. However, Erdoğan's absence from the summit could signal a significant shift in Turkey's diplomatic stance and its impact on international relations. This absence could be interpreted as a sign of Turkey's reconsideration of its BRICS membership, which could have far-reaching implications for the group and Turkey's international relations.
For the past five years, Erdoğan was the only world leader, aside from Pakistan, to bring up the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly.
In September 2019,  the Turkish leader addressed the "dispute over Kashmir," a long-standing territorial conflict between India and Pakistan. He called for its resolution through dialogue between Pakistan and India, based on justice and fairness rather than conflict, to secure a peaceful future for the people of Kashmir. This issue has been a significant part of Turkey's diplomatic stance and its relations with India and Pakistan.
In his 2020 UNGA speech, he highlighted that the "Kashmir problem," crucial to South Asia's stability, remained unresolved. He advocated for a solution based on UN resolutions and aligned with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
In 2021, Erdoğan reiterated Turkey's support for resolving the "ongoing problem in Kashmir" through dialogue between the involved parties within the framework of relevant UN resolutions.
In 2022, he expressed regret that peace and cooperation between India and Pakistan had not been achieved 75 years after their independence. He called for a "just and lasting peace" in Kashmir, a call that resonates with the audience's hope for a peaceful resolution, but did not mention UN resolutions. This call for peace should instill a sense of hope for a better future in the audience.
By 2023, Erdoğan emphasized that a peaceful resolution in Kashmir through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan would bring stability and prosperity to South Asia, reaffirming Turkey's support for efforts in this direction. This marked the second year he omitted any reference to UN resolutions.
Addressing the 79th session of the UNGA Tuesday, Erdoğan said: “Not only children are dying in Gaza; the United Nations system is also dying, the truth is dying, the values that the west claims to defend are dying, the hopes of humanity to live in a fairer world are dying one by one."
Erdogan recalled that the United Nations was founded to maintain global peace and security after the devastation of World War II when millions lost their lives. He stated, “With the establishment of the United Nations, expectations for global stability, peace and justice blossomed again, and hopes for peace revived. However, we observe with regret that in recent years, the United Nations is struggling to fulfil its founding mission and is gradually turning into a dysfunctional, unwieldy and inert structure. We need the values represented by the maxim ‘The world is bigger than five’, more and more nowadays.”
He emphasized that international peace and security are too significant to be left to the whims of the "privileged five," a term often used to refer to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom), whose veto power can significantly influence global politics.
Erdoğan highlighted Turkey's growing engagement with regional organizations, such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association, the Pacific Islands Forum, and particularly ASEAN. He also reiterated Turkey's desire to strengthen relations with BRICS, a group of emerging economies. Additionally, Erdoğan noted Turkey's deep historical ties with Central Asian countries and the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
With reporting by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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