Addressing the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lauded Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts and underlined diplomacy as the best instrument for the resolution of conflicts. Erdoğan, however, added that Ankara does not naively believe that diplomacy itself is enough and that Türkiye needs physical influence on the ground. The president said the country ranks third in the world in terms of diplomatic network.

The president also criticized the current international system as "lacking basic concepts such as solidarity, justice and trust, unable to fulfill even its minimum responsibilities."

"Türkiye does not have the luxury of watching any event from afar. It is our duty to our people and to all humanity to say what we know to be true," he said. The president said the current crisis in Gaza was a testament to the collapse of the global order. "The 21st century is turning into an era of crises contrary to expectation and rule-based international order was now merely a slogan."

The ADF is hosting representatives from 147 countries discussing current issues from Friday to Sunday. The third edition of the forum will be attended by nearly 4,500 participants, including 19 heads of state, 73 ministers and 57 international representatives.

The forum's theme is "Elevating Diplomacy Amidst Crises" and will cover topics such as global issues, climate change, migration, Islamophobia, trade wars and artificial intelligence. The 2021 forum had about 2,000 attendees, but this year, nearly 4,500 are expected. In 2022, 30 panels were organized, while this year, on March 1-3, 52 panels will be held. The forum will include a wide range of participants, from diplomats and politicians to students, academics, civil society organizations and the business community. Multiple exhibitions will also be featured, including the "Century of Türkiye" exhibition, which showcases Türkiye's vision in the fields of art, energy, defense and industry. The forum will also include the "Bulletproof Dreams: Gaza Children Painters Exhibition," organized by Türkiye's Directorate of Communications, to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza through the perspective of children. French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian translations will be available during the opening session.

Prior to his attendance at the meeting, Erdoğan held talks with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and former Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

The president highlighted that cultural racism and Islamophobia were spreading like a plague worldwide and noted other crises affecting the world. "Türkiye is among the countries affected most by the crises. Conflicts topping the agenda of mankind are in our immediate vicinity. Türkiye itself has fought terrorism for 40 years. We are the only NATO ally fighting Daesh. Vile attacks against the Quran under the guise of 'protests' mostly took place outside Turkish embassies. We have been under serious pressure due to irregular immigration for the past 12 years. We host some 4 million people who fled conflicts and terrorist groups," he said.

Erdoğan said Türkiye has a more active policy to manage geopolitical risks, adding that it was also a multidimensional and "calm" policy. "We are not giving concessions from our principles and defend the interests of our country in every field. Diplomacy is the greatest instrument for peaceful solutions to crises. No obstacles are high enough when you take steps based on mutual understanding, as long as you do not pursue maximalist goals," he said.

Erdoğan said that considering Ankara needed enough clout to exert efficient diplomacy, they have taken steps to that extent in the past two decades, noting rising economic growth and purchasing power, as well as leaps in exports and tourism revenues.

"We raised the rate of homegrown products in the defense industry to 80% and with the first flight of our fifth-generation warplane KAAN last week, we reached a new league. We have 261 envoys in foreign affairs. We brought Türkiye to a level where every step it takes is closely observed. Türkiye is now a major power that can build cooperation based on a win-win principle, both with the West and the East, cooperating with the European Union, extending a hand to the oppressed without any discrimination, a power which can take any measure on the ground when its existence is threatened," he said.

Speaking on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Erdoğan lamented the hopes of peace stalled due to lack of support in three years of the crisis, though it flourished in Antalya with meetings of top diplomats of Russia and Ukraine. "A historic opportunity to prevent destruction has been undermined," he said.

Further speaking about the Gaza crisis, Erdoğan said it was not only women and children who were slaughtered by Israel in Palestine but also the "faith of billions in international law."

"We have seen how so-called exemplary structures and institutions like the United Nations Security Council and European Union institutions were weak when it comes to responding to Israel," he said.

Erdoğan reiterated his earlier remarks that what transpired in Gaza was not a war but "a genocide attempt." He criticized the Netanyahu administration for its reckless policy of massacres and that Western powers had "a hand" in this with their "hypocritical policies."

"Words should be backed with actions to stop the oppression in Palestine and restore faith in international law. Stopping the oppression in Palestine is possible with the foundation of a Palestinian state. Türkiye is ready to contribute to it. We are also ready to help the recovery of Gaza," he said.

Erdoğan also thanked "friends of Palestine who filled the streets and squares across the world to support Palestinians every week," referring to worldwide pro-Palestinian demonstrations.