India (Commonwealth Union)_ In the wake of the successful G20 Summit in 2023, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced a compelling endorsement for India’s pursuit of a permanent seat within the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). He underscored the need to acknowledge that the world extends beyond the confines of the five nations, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia, currently occupying permanent UNSC positions.
Erdogan’s articulation of India as the “greatest trade partner in South Asia” emphasized the substantial economic potential shared by both nations. While expressing his pride in the prospect of India attaining permanent UNSC membership, he expanded on the idea that global governance should evolve to encompass a rotational system that allows all 195 UN member countries the opportunity to participate in a meaningful manner, illustrating his vision for a more inclusive international order.
Erdogan said, “A country like India being there on the UN Security Council, we would be proud. But as you know, the world is bigger than, larger than five. When we say the world is larger than five, what we mean is that it’s not only about the US, UK, France, China, and Russia…we should only have permanent members, and it should work on a rotational system, because right now, you have all these members, 195 countries, who are all members of the UN. So we should have a rotational mechanism where potentially each and every member, every one of those 195 countries can potentially become a member. That’s what we propose, so they should be able to enjoy that.”
This significant statement by President Erdogan followed a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and himself during the G20 Summit. Their discussions delved into multifaceted cooperation possibilities, encompassing trade, investment, defense, security, civil aviation, and shipping. An official statement elucidated the wide-ranging nature of their discourse. Furthermore, Erdogan took the opportunity to commend Prime Minister Modi on India’s G20 Presidency and expressed gratitude for India’s swift humanitarian response through Operation Dost after Turkey’s earthquake in February 2023. The official statement read, “Discussions took place on bilateral cooperation potential in areas like trade and investment, defense and security, civil aviation, and shipping”.
Touching upon the Black Sea Grain Initiative, President Erdogan conveyed optimism regarding its revival and underscored the futility of any attempts to isolate Russia. He stressed that initiatives aiming to isolate Russia were destined to falter, advocating for strategies that avoid escalating tensions in the Black Sea region. Emphasizing the importance of global food security, he announced plans to convene the Food Supply Security Study Group, involving Russia, Ukraine, the United Nations, and international stakeholders, to facilitate ongoing dialogue.
Erdogan said, “We believe that any initiative that isolates Russia is bound to fail. Its success is a very little possibility. We believe that any step that may escalate tensions in the Black Sea should be avoided… In order to support global food security and food supply security, we are going to bring together the Food Supply Security Study Group, both Russia, Ukraine, as well as the United Nations, and with our stakeholders coming from the international community, we are going to have continuous talks”.
The G20 Leaders’ Declaration issued on the preceding day called for the full, timely, and effective implementation of agreements to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of grain, foodstuffs, and fertilizers/inputs from Russia and Ukraine, particularly to meet the demands of developing and least developed countries, notably in Africa. Erdogan’s statements and the diplomatic developments at the G20 Summit underscored the evolving dynamics of international relations and the growing prominence of India on the global stage.
