Russia Responds to Proposal for UN Alternative

The Kremlin responded on Tuesday to a proposed alternative to the United Nations (UN), shutting down an idea put forward by Turkish presidential spokesperson Fahrettin Altun.

In an article to coincide with the Turkish government marking the 100th anniversary of the creation of the modern republic, Altun said Turkey is preparing to create a new international structure. The spokesman said this is because the UN Security Council "and similar international structures are unable to solve global problems in full and have even begun to deepen them and lead to crises."

Peskov shut down the proposal during a press briefing on Tuesday.

"We believe that the UN system, despite its great inefficiency on vital issues on the agenda, remains the only and uncontested international mechanism," Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin spokesperson added that the Turkish proposal "requires international consensus at a minimum."

"Is it possible in this difficult time, in this difficult period of critical contradictions and conceptual changes that are taking place...only the future can answer," Peskov said, noting that the UN system "at one time...was created as a product of very complex agreements, a complex international consensus."

Newsweek has contacted the UN and the Turkish Foreign Ministry for comment via email.

"It is clear that it is necessary to establish new international organizations, consistent with the spirit of the new century and new era, taking into account new balances," Altun said in a commentary published on his government's website.

"Turkey is making preparations for the new multi-dimensional and multi-actor international conjuncture in accordance with the motto of 'The World is Bigger than Five' declared by our President," he said.

"The world is bigger than five" is a slogan that has been used repeatedly by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for UN reform, and refers to the UN Security Council's five permanent members—the U.S., China, France, Russia, and the U.K..

In September, Erdogan said the UN Security Council "is no longer the guarantor of international security and has become a battleground where the political strategies of five countries clash."

"We must immediately restructure institutions under the UN roof responsible for ensuring world peace, security, and welfare," Erdogan added. "We must build a global governance architecture that is capable of representing all origins, beliefs and cultures in the world."

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