Türkiye has experienced some of the busiest diplomatic days in its history last week. Three different Turkish cities, namely Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya, hosted very important international meetings. These meetings are indications of Türkiye’s diversified foreign policy orientation and its constructive role in international politics.
In Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last Thursday at the Presidential Complex. During the meeting, which lasted about three hours, the two leaders discussed the latest developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Erdoğan emphasized the importance of an immediate cease-fire and the start of peace negotiations.
Two important meetings were held in Istanbul. The first meeting, which was part of the peace talks to reach a solution to the Russian-Ukrainian war, was held between Turkish, American and Ukrainian delegations. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan moderated the meeting. The Ukrainian delegation consisted of three high-level officials, including Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Washington was represented by Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Türkiye, and Special Envoy Keith Kellog.
Türkiye has once more shown the world that it is one of the most active countries trying to reach a permanent cease-fire between the warring sides. At the least, Türkiye has ensured the continuation of the process with direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
The second meeting, which was presided over by Fidan, was between Russia and Ukraine. This was the second time that Türkiye brought the two warring countries together since the beginning of the war. While the Russian delegation was headed by Vladimir Medinsky, the Ukrainian delegation was headed by Rustem Umerov. The meeting lasted for about an hour and a half.
Although the meeting failed to achieve a cease-fire, some concrete steps were taken during the meeting. Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each in the near future. In addition, on the very same day, the two countries exchanged the remains of soldiers. The two sides have agreed to continue direct contacts in the future.
Another point of international meetings was Antalya, the city that hosts the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF). Two important meetings were held in the city. The first meeting was a trilateral meeting held between Fidan, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. During the meeting, the participants discussed the future of Syria, the fight against Daesh and regional cooperation.
The second international meeting was a two-day informal meeting of NATO ministers of foreign affairs. The Turkish top diplomat hosted his counterparts from 32 member countries on May 14 and 15 in Antalya. The meeting was a preparatory meeting for NATO’s next summit, which will be held in June in The Hague. Türkiye has shown its determination to continue its contributions to the trans-Atlantic alliance with its strong army.
In addition to the meeting hosted in Türkiye, Turkish officials participated in two significant international meetings abroad. Erdoğan was invited to join a summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The invitation itself was considered a critical move, showing that Türkiye has a strong say about the future of Syria. Trump stated that he would order the removal of the U.S. sanctions on Syria after consultations with Erdoğan. Thus, Trump has shown the world that he recognizes the constructive role of Türkiye in the Syrian crisis.
Lastly, Erdoğan visited Albania last Friday to attend the sixth meeting of the European Political Community (EPC). During the European summit, Erdoğan met with the leaders of different countries on the sidelines of the meeting. In his speech at the meeting, he underlined that a transformation based on the principles of indivisible security and fairer distribution of prosperity is needed to achieve European security. He called on the European countries to improve further cooperation in security and defense issues between Türkiye and Europe.
All these meetings demonstrate how Türkiye has been playing an effective and constructive role in international politics. Türkiye has been continuing to mediate regional crises and work for regional stability. As Türkiye emerges as an influential actor on the global scale, Erdoğan also stands out as a global leader. It seems that Türkiye will continue to consolidate its strategic autonomy, to improve its relations with different sets of countries, and to provide an alternative venue for international politics.
