Calls for restructuring Council

Jamia Millia Islamia on Monday conferred the Degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is on a two-day visit to India.

The university said that it was conferring the degree to President Erdogan for “his contribution to strengthen international cooperation, peace and diplomacy as well as for his extraordinary humanitarian aid to millions of refugees.”

Happy to accept honour

Mr. Erdogan said he was delighted to accept the honorary degree from a university which had played a significant role not only in India’s freedom movement but also in the way it supported the Khilafat movement in the 1920s and stood by the Turkish people and its founders.

Citing the commonness and familiarity between the Indian and Turkish cultures, he said that “culture and education” were potential areas which could take the relationship between both countries to the next level.

In his address, he supported a permanent United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seat for India and called for reforms in the UNSC. “India, with a population of 1.3 billion is not a part of the UNSC. Over 1.7 billion people live in the Islamic world but they too are not a part of the UNSC. This is not a healthy sign,” President Erdogan said.

Criticising the current structure of the Council as arbitrary, he said that it was set up to address the crisis emanating from the Second World War but now that situation had changed drastically. It therefore required thorough restructuring to address the current geo-political reality of the world. “Only five permanent members of the Council are deciding the fate of the entire world which is not fair”, he added.

Talking about terrorism, the Turkish President said that the menace has to be fought collectively and it was unfair to associate it with any one specific religion. He said that indulging in acts of terrorism in the name of Islam was nothing but blasphemy.

President Erdogan said that since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, Turkey has opened its doors to the refugees from the neighbouring country and that the international community has a responsibility to do something for them. Turkey has made a conscientious effort to help them as “we should not become tyrants” by becoming indifferent to the sufferings of others.

The degree was conferred by JMI Chancellor M. A. Zaki and Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad read out the citation.