Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu pointed out the criticisms directed at international institutions due to their shortcomings in the fight against the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19), saying, “Now is not the time to fight, we need to review and reform the global system from top to bottom after the pandemic passes.” said.
Çavuşoğlu made statements on current issues in the TV100 live broadcast.
Evaluating that the global system will change after Covid-19 and nothing will be the same as before, Çavuşoğlu said, “Countries will diversify their resources and go to more reliable countries, especially in terms of meeting their health, food safety and other needs. In this sense, Turkey has shown that it is a reliable source country.” .” he said.
Çavuşoğlu pointed out that criticisms about the global system began to be brought to the agenda before Covid-19 and said, “Turkey is one of the countries that brings this to the agenda the most, and the leader who brings it to the agenda the most is our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.” he said.
Pointing to Erdoğan’s statement that the global system should be subject to change with the motto “The world is bigger than five”, Çavuşoğlu said that the first organization that comes to mind when the global system is mentioned is the United Nations (UN).
Çavuşoğlu emphasized that the Security Council, the umbrella organization of the UN, does not have sufficient representation capacity and inclusiveness, and explained that organizations outside the UN, such as the European Union (EU), cannot meet expectations and stop conflicts.
“Criticisms are true, but this is the material we have.”
Stating that serious criticism started to come to the global system through the World Health Organization (WHO) after the pandemic, Çavuşoğlu said, “At this point, it is not the time to criticize other international organizations, especially the WHO. The criticisms are correct. But this is the material we have and today we are fighting against Covid-19.” said.
Çavuşoğlu underlined that support should not be interrupted in order to benefit from these institutions to the maximum extent during the pandemic and continued as follows:
“After the pandemic, it is necessary to review these institutions with common sense and reform them. Reform is an ongoing process. We need to renew and reform the global system. International organizations need to be able to adapt themselves to new developments. As Turkey, we have supported multilateralism so far. What is the unipolar world approach? “We have always opposed it, no matter the country. Now is not the time to fight, we need to review and reform the global system from top to bottom after the pandemic is over.”
Stating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has put forward visions such as “Digital Diplomacy” and “New Asia” initiatives, Çavuşoğlu pointed out how accurate these initiatives have proven to be during the Covid-19 process.
Relations with the USA
Çavuşoğlu pointed out that fundamental problems in relations with the USA continue and said:
“The FETO problem with the USA continues, and likewise, the USA’s engagement with the YPG in Syria continues. The USA also has demands that we not buy the S-400 and not activate it after we buy it. The atmosphere in the Congress is obvious. The message sent by Turkey “A positive environment has been created due to the aid. There is a positive atmosphere among the people as well. The environment has changed after our fight against the regime in Idlib. They have begun to understand Turkey’s role better.”
Drawing attention to the warm dialogue between President Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump, Çavuşoğlu said, “Let’s neither be pessimistic nor say ‘everything is over, relations are a bed of roses’. Tomorrow, we will discuss some issues on the phone with (US Secretary of State) Mike Pompeo. This “We will continue the dialogue. Both sides must have the same sincerity.” he said.
Referring to the tension in the Aegean, Çavuşoğlu said, “We can overcome the problems with confidence-building measures. The latest practices are Greece’s reaction to our routine practice.” said.
Relations with the EU
Çavuşoğlu said that they are trying to normalize relations with the EU in this process and said:
“This process has shown that there are very serious debates within the EU. The EU cannot meet the expectations of the European people. The basic question is this: If Turkey were a member of the EU in this process, would the EU be stronger, would it fight better, or vice versa? EU countries and its people choose the first option. In other words, if Turkey were a member of the EU, the EU would be stronger today in the fight against all kinds of difficulties, not only in Covid-19. The EU would not start wars in Europe after the Second World War, especially due to racism and other movements. “It was founded to unite people around economic interests and values, but today it is weak in achieving this and acting jointly.”
Pointing out the recent softening in relations, Çavuşoğlu stated that important issues such as the Customs Union and visa liberalization should be resolved as soon as possible.
‘128 countries requested medical supplies, we met half of them’
On the question regarding aid requests from the world to Turkey
Çavuşoğlu said, “To date, 128 countries have requested medical supplies assistance from Turkey through grants, export permits or purchases. We have covered approximately half of them.” said.
Çavuşoğlu stated that they last discussed with the Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca last night how they could meet Paraguay’s request for assistance.
Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said, “Two-thirds of the countries in the world requested medical supplies from Turkey. This shows that Turkey is a reliable source.” made his assessment.
“We share our experience with all over the world”
Stating that he finds some discussions within the country about the aid provided by Turkey meaningless, Çavuşoğlu said:
“They interpret it as if we are not giving what the Turkish nation needs, but we are taking it and giving it to another country. I am saying this for those who interpret the work done so far in a different way. This is not true. Has there been anything disrupted in terms of health services so far? It has never happened. We are trying to produce new products, especially ventilators.” We started, have there ever been inadequacies in hospitals? No.
We share this experience with all parts of the world, as we provide health services to all our citizens, regardless of the disease they have, without taking the approach of only taking them to intensive care, as many countries abroad do, as the whole world sees that Turkey’s health system is very strong. In this sense, the World Health Organization, the international community and countries, especially the USA, show Turkey as a model country. “Such assistance will also enable Turkey to become a brand as a reliable source in the future.”
Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said, “Now is not the time to fight, we need to review and reform the global system from top to bottom after the pandemic passes.” said.
