President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted ombudsmen from around the world on Wednesday at the Presidential Complex for an event entitled Future of Human Rights in the 21^st Century. In his address at the event, Erdoğan emphasized Türkiye’s policy of humanitarian assistance to countries, people in need and criticized the West for turning a blind eye to the plight of others.

"We are in a period when we are leaving behind the centenary of our republic and preparing to enter its new century that we call the ‘Century of Türkiye.’ In this historic process, we are working to build a new future for ourselves in the domain of human rights, just like all other domains, in the light of past experiences," said the president. Underscoring that human rights were one of the leading items on the global agenda, President Erdoğan noted: "Almost everyone, from local politicians to media, from academics to international organizations, talks about human rights and freedoms. Meetings are held, decisions are taken, and statements are made on the preservation and defense of human rights all across the world. That being the case, the fundamental rights of people, including the right to life, are continuously violated."

Stating that new violations were being added to the current ones, and human rights, freedoms and dignity are already being ignored in many parts of the world, from Syria to Palestine, Yemen to Arakan, and Turkistan to Africa, President Erdoğan said: "Crises that should bring us together and evoke feelings of empathy can, on the contrary, sometimes draw people away from humanitarian values. The COVID-19 pandemic, immigrants and conflicts that erupt in our region are the most striking examples of this bitter truth. We remember with embarrassment the selfish acts displayed by countries, considered to be developed, to protect themselves during the pandemic. We witness how they stoke this climate of hatred. We face a dire situation where millions of Muslims had their basic freedoms trampled upon and their faith viewed as a threat. It is a particularly difficult time for those communities ostracized by media and politicians. Hate crimes toward migrants and foreigners are either ignored or covered up. But those who do not care for anything other than their own security and welfare cannot cover up their double standards any longer," he remarked.

"Türkiye exhibits an exemplary stance. We embraced more than 4 million people who fled conflict zones, and never forcibly returned anyone to their homeland once they took shelter here. We extended a helping hand to the Kurds of Kobane, to our Arab brothers and sisters elsewhere in Syria, regardless of their faith or ethnicity. As long as our diplomatic efforts conducted with Russia and Syria bear fruit, more people will return home in a humane way in Syria," he said.

Erdoğan also slammed countries that have become a shelter for terrorists fleeing Turkish justice. "Bloodthirsty murderers who snatch the right to life, the most basic human right, are protected under the pretext of political asylum and can lead their lives freely without being subjected to any legal investigation."

"I would like to express with regret that some of the countries we are with under the roof of NATO, the Council of Europe or the U.N., have turned into shelters for bandits fleeing Turkish justice," he lamented.

As for the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen, Erdogan said, "As it is known, the ringleader of FETÖ, who killed 252 of our citizens on July 15, 2016, and bombed our Parliament and presidential building, can continue to oversee his terrorist organization from his mansion in America."

Erdoğan said the PKK terrorist group members, who are sought with a red notice, can ironically organize protests in the center of Europe under the auspices of the police, and attack Turkish citizens and representatives.

Russia-Ukraine corridor

The president also spoke about the opening of a humanitarian corridor between Russia and Ukraine, something voiced earlier by Türkiye's Chief Ombudsman Şeref Malkoç. He said Türkiye supported the corridor, especially for the evacuation of the injured. "We are helping the injured to be evacuated from other countries, from Syria to Azerbaijan and Syria and we will continue to do so," he said. Erdoğan noted that Türkiye was already contributing to the resolution of food and energy crisis affecting the world amid the conflict, through the grain corridor and hosting prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine.