As a result of Turkey's intense diplomatic efforts and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's effective dialogue with the Russian and Ukrainian heads of state, the parties reached an agreement to release grain shipments from the Black Sea to the world. The execution and control of the plan to safely transport grain along a corridor will be carried out from Istanbul. While Turkey, particularly Istanbul, has already cemented its position as an indispensable trade and finance center between Europe, Asia and Africa for centuries, it is also expanding its capacity as a global diplomacy center day by day.
Istanbul hosts the largest global and regional offices and centers in the world after the headquarters of the world's leading international organizations and institutions such as the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICAAN). The city has the advantage of Turkey's global brand Turkish Airlines (THY), a company that flies to the most destinations in the world from a single point, Turkey's proud mega investment, IGA Airport. The airport is becoming a global intersection point. The city also improves its capacity as the most important business and meeting point for global organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
From the U.N.'s point of view, in addition to the negotiations conducted by the alliance's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Turkey's intense diplomatic efforts that continued day and night for six weeks paved the way for the signing of the "safe grain corridor" agreement in Istanbul, on which the food security of 400 million people depends. Turkey's understanding of strong, entrepreneurial and humanitarian diplomacy was once again in effect when creating a permanent solution for the global food supply crisis, which is the most critical crisis on the global scale. This achievement was congratulated by all leading G-20 and OECD member countries.
Of course, some cracking voices have been heard coming from a few Western media outlets that have been attacking Turkey's global perception for 10 years without interruption and circulating disinformation. However, the fact that the world's foremost leaders, especially Guterres, have openly expressed their thanks and congratulations for Turkey and Erdoğan's proactive role in such a critical global issue means that a record will be set in history in terms of Turkey receiving the appreciation it deserves.
After Erdoğan's meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the foreign and defense ministries alongside other ministries, institutions and organizations intensified their work by acting in cooperation, demonstrating Turkey's drive to solve the problem in line with Erdoğan's diplomatic initiatives. As a result of these efforts, a direct contact line, the “Black Sea Grain Security Corridor,” was implemented. In order to ensure the functioning of the corridor, which is planned to be used for humanitarian purposes, Turkey will also inspect all commercial vessels before they enter and exit its straits. Together, we will see that Istanbul will host many more important global diplomatic achievements in the coming period.
