Erdoğan has been in New York to attend the UN General Assembly. The title of the speech he delivered was “Alliance of Civilizations,” an apparent reference to the Alliance of Civilizations initiative which was launched in 2005 by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan following a joint proposal by Spanish Prime Minister JoseéLuis Rodriguez Zapatero and Erdoğan.
Prejudices, humiliation and discrimination lay the groundwork for radical movements, while terrorist groups exploit differences among people for their own purposes, Erdoğan said, citing separatist activities in Turkey which have been carried out by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and noting that around 30,000 people have lost their lives since the PKK launched its armed campaign against the state in 1984 as part of a quest to establish an ethnic Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey. Emphasizing the need to build a “common future,” Erdoğan continued: “I wonder whether the same amount of money that has been allocated to defense around the world is also being allocated for education, health, climate change, environment and culture. No, no, no!”
