More than 20 heads of state and government from over 100 nations are set to convene in southern Türkiye for the 3rd Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) next month, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
The forum will be held under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan between March 1-3, spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said in a statement.
It will also host approximately 90 ministers, including more than 60 foreign ministers, as well as 80 representatives of international organizations.
Keçeli noted that around 4,000 guests, including students, are expected to attend the forum and more than 50 sessions will be held on various topics.
An event will also be held on the sidelines, which will assemble members of the Gaza Contact Group, originally set up by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to take international action to stop the conflict in Gaza and help achieve lasting peace.
The forum, held since 2021, takes place in the scenic Turkish southern resort city of Antalya. Last year's summit was delayed due to the devastating twin earthquakes that shook southeastern Türkiye in February, causing the deaths of tens of thousands.
The forum aims to promote Türkiye's diplomacy and foreign relations while advancing its friendship and cooperation with other nations. It takes place annually to contribute to Ankara's regional and global values in diplomacy.
In 2022, the ADF was the scene of the first face-to-face meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba after the war started, as the forum provided a platform to discuss global challenges.
Notably, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its third year and Israel's war on Gaza is nearing its sixth month, this year's main theme is "Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil."
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the theme aims to serve as "a thorough reflection and the means for searching a peaceful way out of the turbulent period the world has been going through."
"Ongoing wars, acts of terrorism, irregular migration, the rise of xenophobia and Islamophobia, unforeseen risks of artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, natural disasters, pandemics and widening socioeconomic gaps form a non-exhaustive list of global challenges," the ministry's statement said.
"The erosion and loss of trust in the rules-based international order is also a worrying trend, undermining the predictability of the environment in which states operate."
It pointed out that these challenges may act as "agents leading to structural changes in the global political, economic and security landscape" and assured the forum would also tackle the impact of elections to be held in 2024 on "pressing international issues, as well as concerns on AI manipulated disinformation and fake news."
Some 37 panels will be held over three days, including "A New Agenda for Peace: Shift of Paradigm Toward Peace?," "Building Asia-Pacific Regional Architectures: The Challenge of Unmatching Interests," "Building Blocks of Permanent Peace in the Middle East," "Climate Change: How Will Future Generations Remember Us?," "EU's Capability to Shape Global Transitions," "Exploring a Guarantorship Model for Peace and Security in the Middle East?" "From Order to Disorder? Historical Insights on the Contemporary Crisis of International System," "Innovative Mediation in Times of Turmoil" and "International Trade, Connectivity, and Interdependence."
First lady Emine Erdoğan, too, is scheduled to speak at a high-level session on women, peace and security.
"New Dynamics of Cooperation in Eurasia," "Ongoing Challenges of Migration: Sustainable Policies" and "New Approaches to Empower the Least Developed Countries" are other panels that will address regional cooperation, sustainable development goals and responsibility-sharing on migration management and its root causes.
Other panels include "Realizing the Potential of Africa," "Road to Stability in Syria," "Rising Racism, Xenophobia and Islamophobia," "Role of Education & Culture in Regional Cooperation," "Sahel: From Security Risks to Lasting Stability," "Shifting Paradigms in Energy Security," "Space Diplomacy: Exploring New Opportunities," "The Future of European Security Architecture," "The Role of Financial Markets and Foreign Policy in a Changing Era of Multilateralism," "The Role of Science and Tech Diplomacy in a Globalized World" and "Understanding the Global South."
Participants in the event vary from foreign ministers to entrepreneurs, advisors to businesspeople.
Foreign ministers of Lebanon, Mali, Kuwait, Sudan, Somalia, Mali, Spain, Armenia, Niger, Jordan, Macedonia, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Congo, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Kosovo, Moldova, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Zimbabwe, Iraq, South Africa, Bangladesh, Albania, Senegal Serbia, South Sudan, Panama, Burkina Faso, Azerbaijan Slovakia, Cameroon, Romania, Chad, Djibouti, Gambia, Malawi, Uganda, Hungary, Madagascar, Uzbekistan, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Sri Lanka, Angola, Mozambique, Rwanda, Egypt and Palestine will be in attendance.
Prime ministers, presidents, deputy ministers and vice presidents, presidential council members, trade and energy ministers, as well as lawmakers, security experts and forum leaders from these nations and others too, will be joining the summit alongside special representatives from the European Union international treaty associations.
