\n<\/p>\n
Speaking at the UN, Erdo\u011fan described the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean as areas where \u201cissues\u201d should be resolved through \u201cgood neighbourly relations\u201d and in accordance with international law.<\/p>\n
He also repeated T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s proposal for a regional conference aimed at bringing the countries involved together and establishing what Ankara describes as common ground.<\/p>\n
But the most significant remarks came over Cyprus.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan directly called on the international community to recognise the self declared \u201cTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus\u201d, an entity recognised internationally only by T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call on the international community to recognise the \u2018Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus\u2019 and to establish political, diplomatic and economic relations with it,\u201d Erdo\u011fan said.<\/p>\n
He also demanded recognition of what he described as the \u201csovereign equality and equal international status\u201d of Turkish Cypriots.<\/p>\n
The demand directly challenges the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus and the long standing UN framework for a settlement on the island. The Republic of Cyprus is a UN member state, while the breakaway administration in the north is recognised only by T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan also called for an end to what he described as the \u201cinhuman isolation\u201d of Turkish Cypriots.<\/p>\n
His intervention comes as the Cyprus dispute remains one of the most contentious issues between Athens and Ankara, alongside competing positions over maritime boundaries and other issues in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan\u2019s reference to international law comes against the backdrop of longstanding Greek Turkish disputes over maritime zones, territorial waters and other issues in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
Greece has said it is prepared to address the core outstanding maritime delimitation dispute through international law, while the two countries continue to disagree over the scope of the issues that should be negotiated. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has previously described the delimitation of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone as the principal outstanding dispute between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan\u2019s latest remarks therefore combine a call for dialogue with a renewed presentation of Ankara\u2019s longstanding positions on Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
The Turkish president also devoted a major part of his UN address to Gaza, launching a fierce attack on Israel and demanding greater international pressure.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan described Gaza as the \u201cworld\u2019s largest children\u2019s cemetery\u201d and accused Israel of pursuing what he called a \u201cgenocidal mentality\u201d. Israel rejects accusations that it is committing genocide.<\/p>\n
He called for the immediate reconstruction of Gaza and urged countries to increase pressure on Israel to end the war.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan also renewed his call for reform of the UN Security Council, arguing that the current structure gives disproportionate power to its five permanent members.<\/p>\n
With Greece, Cyprus and T\u00fcrkiye continuing to navigate a fragile period of dialogue, Erdo\u011fan\u2019s UN speech placed Ankara\u2019s positions on the Aegean and Cyprus firmly back on the international stage.<\/p>\n