Erdoğan Calls for End to UN Security Council Veto Power

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for the abolition of the United Nations Security Council’s veto system, arguing that global decision-making should no longer be concentrated in the hands of five permanent members.

In an article published on September 22, Erdoğan said the current structure of the UN Security Council no longer reflects today’s international realities. He argued that allowing the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom to permanently block decisions gives disproportionate power to a small group of countries.

Erdoğan said meaningful reform should begin with abolishing the veto privilege. He rejected the idea that simply adding additional permanent members would solve the problem, arguing that it would instead expand the number of countries with special privileges.

He also proposed removing the system of permanent membership entirely. Under his suggested model, Security Council members would be elected by the UN General Assembly and would serve for fixed terms, with countries seeking another term required to win the confidence of a majority of UN member states through elections.

The Turkish president has repeatedly promoted the slogan “the world is bigger than five” as part of his campaign for reform of the UN system. He said the goal is to give countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and other regions greater representation in international decision-making.

Speaking to journalists in New York on Thursday, Erdoğan reiterated his position, saying the veto mechanism should be abolished and the UN moved toward a system that includes all member states. He also called for a stronger General Assembly.

The proposal would represent a fundamental change to the structure of the Security Council. Under the existing system, the five permanent members hold veto power over substantive council resolutions. A resolution can therefore fail even when it receives broad support from other members if one of the permanent members votes against it.

Russia has rejected Erdoğan’s proposal to abolish the veto. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow supports expanding permanent membership of the Security Council but considers both permanent membership and veto rights important parts of the UN structure.

Changing the veto system would require broad international agreement and amendments to the UN Charter, making Erdoğan’s proposal a major diplomatic reform agenda rather than an immediate change to how the Security Council operates.