New world order emerging as Western hegemony comes to an end, says Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that western hegemony was coming to an end as a new world order emerges.

"We have reached the end of the prevailing concept of Western superiority and its handling of world problems, and everyone is convinced of this, even the West itself,” Erdogan said in an interview with Turkish magazine Kriter Dergi.

Erdogan - who has had unsteady relations with western countries including France and the US over the years – said that it has become clear that Washington was unable to control the entire world on its own, after it became the world's only superpower following the end of the Cold War.

He said countries such as Turkey have risen to become key players in the international arena.

"Not only Turkey, but many middle-power countries have begun rising to the top. We no longer live in a world where superpowers call the shots," Erdogan said.

The Turkish president boasted that his country had reached a level of strength where it can carry out military operations and manufacture its own military equipment.

He said that Turkey was at the forefront of nations calling for changes in the global order, explaining that it was highlighting the problems hindering any progress to resolve international conflicts.

Examples he gave were the Syrian refugee crisis, the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, the plight of the Palestinian people, Islamaphobia in the West, and the numerous humanitarian crises in Africa, adding that the UN had failed to solve any of them.

Ankara has been militarily involved in a number of conflicts in the region over the past decade, including Syria and Libya. It has also frequently targeted Kurdish militant groups in Iraq.

Following the pullout of foreign forces from Afghanistan this summer, Turkey also worked on repairing damages to the Kabul airport and has opened channels of communication with the Taliban.

While it is currently working on improving diplomatic relations with Arab countries such as Egypt and , tensions have continued with neighbouring Greece.