Turkey on Friday underlined the importance of diplomacy for peace and development as the Antalya Diplomacy Forum brought together participants from 75 countries, including 17 state heads.
Addressing the forum during the opening ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the first high-level contact between Russia and Ukraine that took place on Thursday shows the Antalya Diplomacy Forum has started to achieve its purpose.
Criticizing the West for their stance on the Ukrainian crisis, he said: "If the world had objected to the occupation of Ukraine in 2014, would we be facing the current outlook? Those who were silent for Crimea in 2014 now speak up, is justice valid only for a part of the world?"
Underlining that the number of displaced people is expected to rise, Erdoğan said that Turkey can never disregard acts of aggression against the sovereignty of a neighboring country.
Kyiv was left alone in its righteous cause, he said and added: "While supporting the legitimate struggle of Ukrainians, steps that may cast a shadow over it are never acceptable."
He also expressed hope for peace and common sense to prevail in the Russia-Ukraine war as soon as possible.
On Thursday, the much-anticipated trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey with facilitation from Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu concluded in Turkey's resort town of Antalya.
Following two weeks of war, the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine on Thursday held their first face-to-face talks, which Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba said made "no progress" on achieving a cease-fire to the fighting that has caused 2.2 million refugees to flee across Ukraine's borders. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow wanted to continue negotiations with Kyiv.
Erdoğan reiterated his call to reform the United Nations Security Council and said: "It is a must to establish a global security structure that prioritizes peace over status quo, interests of the whole world instead of the interests of five countries. As Turkey, we will resume efforts to reform the U.N."
Antalya Diplomacy Forum gathers participants from 75 countries, including 17 state heads, 80 ministers and 39 representatives of international organizations, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu also said Friday during the opening speech of the forum, underlining the importance of diplomacy for peace and development.
One-third of the world is represented at Antalya Diplomacy Forum at the highest level, he said and added: "We need to put diplomacy at the service of peace and development."
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum, convened under the theme of "Recoding Diplomacy," will address the challenges of the next years, he said.
"In the coming years, we will have to tackle the risk of the post-colonial system crumbling in the entire world. This would be a catastrophe because the existing institutions and mechanisms are already unable to meet our needs," said Çavuşoğlu.
"For instance, the eruption of conflicts cannot be prevented. And the ongoing ones cannot be resolved," he added.
With global inequality further deepening, there is a need to resolve emerging tensions, manage change, facilitate adaptation, and promote cooperation, the Turkish foreign minister said.
Also needed is "a new language and a new understanding through digital capabilities. We need to spread messages in the most convincing manner while fighting against disinformation," he further said.
"But most importantly, we need to put diplomacy at the service of peace and development."
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global companies from Russia.
At least 516 civilians have been killed and 908 others injured in Ukraine so far, according to the U.N. figures, with the real toll feared to be higher.
More than 2.3 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also implemented the Montreux Convention to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing the Turkish Straits.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Having recently called Russia’s invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defense and tourism ties.
Politicians, diplomats, opinion makers and academics from around the world have gathered in Turkey to discuss hot-button global issues at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
The second edition of the annual event kicked off on Friday with panel discussions. The forum will continue with various panel discussions through Sunday, where prominent participants will discuss a wide range of topics concerning international relations.
