Turkey is planning to submit the Paris climate pact to parliament for approval next month in line with its constructive steps and a declaration of its contributions to the cause, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Sept. 21.
“Turkey is not indifferent to any global problem, crisis, or call, and will also do its part on climate change and protecting the environment,” said Erdoğan in remarks to the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
He said the ratification phase of the agreement will be completed before the U.N. Climate Change Conference, which will be held in November in Glasgow, Scotland.
“We consider this process, which will lead to radical changes in our investment, production, and employment policies, as one of the main elements of our 2053 vision,” he added.
The Turkish leader underlined that the world should put its focus on climate change because beyond being an environmental issue, this problem could lead to irreversible consequences for the Earth.
It is possible to prevent coronavirus with vaccines, but there is no laboratory solution for climate change, said the president.
“For this reason, also for climate change, we repeat our call that the ‘World is Bigger than Five,’ something we say at every opportunity,” said Erdoğan , referring to his long campaign to expand the UN Security Council beyond its five permanent members to make it more inclusive.
“Whoever has done the most damage to nature, to our atmosphere, our water, our soil and the earth, and whoever has wildly exploited natural resources, should also make the greatest contribution to the fight against climate change,” he added.
While upholding high environmental standards, Turkey has argued that developed, industrialized nations cannot put the main burden of fighting climate change on the shoulders of emerging economies.
In its joining the 2015 Paris accords, placing Turkey in the same category as developed economies is not at all acceptable, according to Turkish officials.
“Unlike in the past, this time no one has the right to say ‘I’m powerful, I won’t pay the bill’,” Erdoğan added.
“Because climate change treats mankind quite fairly.”
‘World can’t let Syrian crisis last 10 more years’
Erdoğan also said the humanitarian drama in Syria has unfolded over the course of an entire decade before the eyes of the world.
“We need to show a stronger will to find a political solution to the problem, based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, and in a way that will meet the expectations of the Syrian people,” said the president.
The longstanding crisis has caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions others since 2011, he said.
Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
For years Turkey has worked to alleviate and solve the Syria crisis across multiple platforms, including the Astana process and talks with Russia, the Assad regime’s main benefactor.
Erdoğan said Turkey has not only taken in nearly 4 million Syrians – more than any country in the world – but also sent its troops into battle against terror groups, groups he said “have drowned the region in blood and tears.”
Fighting regional terrorist groups
Besides fighting ISIL, he said, the Turkish military’s presence on the ground in border areas of northern Syria prevented massacres and ethnic cleansing by the terrorist group PKK’s offshoots – the YPG/PKK.
“As a result of our efforts, and at the expense of martyrs, we were able to ensure the voluntary return of 462,000 Syrians to the areas we provided safety for,” he explained, referring to Turkey’s cross-border anti-terror operation in northern Syria, making the area safe for locals.
“In a similar way, thanks to our presence in Idlib, we saved the lives of millions of people and prevented them from being displaced,” he added, alluding to a deal for a de-escalation zone reached with Russia.
Turning to the terror threat in areas of Syria near Turkey, Erdoğan said: “I would like to reiterate before you that making any distinction between terrorist organizations in the region and using them as subcontractors is unacceptable.”
Turkey has long protested the embrace of the terrorist YPG/PKK by Western countries such as the US and France, with US forces even claiming to use the terrorist YPG/PKK to fight the terror group Daesh/ISIS.
In his remarks, Erdoğan said Turkey is also hosting over one million migrants under various statuses.
“Due to developments in Afghanistan, in recent days we have also been faced with the possibility of an inflow of migrants from this country,” he explained.
Turkey has neither the means nor patience to meet new immigration waves, said Erdoğan, adding that Turkey “saved the dignity of humankind in the Syria crisis.”
At the height of the migrant crisis, in March 2016, Turkey reached an agreement with the EU under which the number of migrant crossings to Europe and tragic deaths plummeted, saving the lives of millions of Syrians and irregular migrants and ensuring them safe haven.
Hurriyet Daily News