President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday said international law was losing its effectiveness in the face of ongoing wars and humanitarian crises, warning that the global system was facing a deep legitimacy crisis.
Speaking at a dinner in Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace held on the sidelines of the 152nd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Erdoğan said actors committing war crimes were no longer deterred by international legal frameworks.
“In an environment where common sense is suspended, dialogue mechanisms are disabled, and diplomacy is replaced by weapons, missiles and bombs, no one is safe,” Erdoğan said.
He added that the international system established after World War II was now struggling to maintain its relevance, with its core values and rules increasingly eroded.
Erdoğan stressed that Türkiye’s foreign policy prioritised resolving conflicts through peaceful means, saying regional stability could not be achieved without the involvement of local actors.
He also criticised what he described as the international community’s failure to stop violence in the Middle East, pointing to continued Israeli attacks in Gaza, Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
While global attention had shifted to the war involving Iran, Erdoğan said violence against Palestinians and Lebanese civilians had intensified, with rising death tolls and mass displacement.
He accused Israel of violating ceasefire agreements and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, adding that its policies in Jerusalem and the West Bank were undermining prospects for peace.
Erdoğan called on parliaments worldwide to take a stronger stance against such actions, warning that continued inaction risked further destabilising the region.
He said the Inter-Parliamentary Union played a key role in promoting dialogue, expressing hope that its latest assembly would contribute to building a more just and secure world.
