The destiny of a country and the fate of a leader are sometimes associated with one another. There are plenty of examples of founders and leaders who provided significant development at certain turning points in history.
Turks and their founding leaders have established more than half of the empires in the world, proving skilled and competent in establishing states. The 14th century, notably, is known as “the century of Turks.” Turkic empires ruled almost half the world by then, from the Timurid Empire to the Golden Horde, from the Mamluks in Egypt to the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman state was an empire that the Turks transformed into a civilization. Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire was also a great one, for instance, but one cannot talk about the culture, civilization or deep traces left behind by this empire. The Ottoman state became the largest state of the Islamic world in the last centuries and expanded to almost one-third of the world's lands.
Then, the age of the empires came to an end, and the Ottoman state also collapsed. When the Turks founded the Republic of Türkiye in the place of the Ottoman state, no one could have imagined then the status we have managed to achieve today. Every nation has a character. One of the most defining characteristics of the Turkish people is that they cannot be enslaved, taken prisoner or held in captivity.
At the 100th anniversary of its establishment, Türkiye has become a pivotal player at the intersection point of all global issues under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership.
Recently, the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held a summit in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand in which the Turkic states discussed the position to take for the future. It is undeniable that the leadership President Erdoğan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev demonstrated in the Azerbaijan-Armenia war has increased the courage of the Turkic states to unite under one roof.
As the bipolar global balance collapses, multipolar, multidirectional and multilateral diplomacy emerges instead. This versatile, multilateral diplomacy offers Türkiye, which borders the Middle East, the Balkans, Europe and the Caucasus, new facilities, chances and opportunities.
In the short speech President Erdoğan delivered after the 17th G-20 leaders' summit in the Indonesian resort island of Bali, he almost manifested the effectiveness and expanded influence of Turkish foreign policy.
It leads one to wonder whether the United Nations or Türkiye, under the leadership of Erdoğan, has been carrying out more efficient activities in solving global problems in the last three or four years. We can say that Erdoğan’s Türkiye has been more active and effective in response to some issues than the U.N.
President Erdoğan and the U. S. President Joe Biden had issues on their agenda like Türkiye-U.S. relations and F-16s, but it is very likely that ending the Ukraine-Russia war, in the long run, was also discussed in their meeting during the summit.
Struggling from time to time with Greece, the European Union and certain other countries, Türkiye maintains the negotiation tool in hand regardless of how severe the conditions are.
Türkiye is growing gradually, expanding its influence and increasing its impact in the diplomatic field. Of course, the country has a historical mission and experience from the past. But, also, Türkiye has a leader who shapes and crowns such experiences with the claim that the new century is the Turkish century. The qualities of a country often resemble the character of its leader.
The Turkish nation's destiny is calling. It is an inspiring call to the Balkans, Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East and all oppressed nations. This rise of Türkiye and the call of its destiny are transforming into an invitation for all oppressed nations.
