Erdogan says UN in need of 'serious reform'

By Nilay Kar Onum and Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkey's president on Thursday called for serious reform of the United Nations Security Council, which he said should have representation from countries on all the world's continents.

Speaking at the closing session of the TRT World Forum in Istanbul, which Anadolu Agency is global communication partner for, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “We need to achieve a United Nations Security Council with participation from seven continents.”

The Turkish president has long advocated reforming the structure of the Security Council, using the motto: "The world is bigger than five."

“The era of five permanent members [on the UNSC] is over," he said, arguing that the present arrangement comes from "the circumstances of World War II."

But, he said: "We are not living under the same circumstances. It is time to make a new transition and a new change [at the UN].”

The UN has yet to respond to the quest for justice, said the Turkish president. "The UN needs serious reform," he added.