The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally effected on not only social relations but strategic relations around the world, Turkey's foreign minister said Thursday.
Speaking at a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Turkish Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) think-tank, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu highlighted that COVID-19 has radically affected strategic relations, and everyone has had to review many norms in this regard.
Çavuşoğlu said the technology race is also a data and information race that determines hierarchies of global systems and asserted that the coronavirus once again has revealed this fact.
"In line with our goals for 2023 and in the long run, we will continue to strengthen our entrepreneurial and humanitarian understanding of foreign policy both in the field and at the negotiating table under the leadership of President (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan)," he said.
They are also indispensable parts of "smart power" in Western literature, Çavuşoğlu added.
"We do not expect anyone else to help us in vital developments that concern our national interests. We are now a country that uses different power elements and diplomacy, for sure, effectively," Çavuşoğlu said, adding that Turkey has been "a playmaker" when necessary and has spoiled games when needed.
Turkey employs a conscientious approach to humanitarian issues and an entrepreneurial stance on geopolitical and strategic issues, he said.
"Our support to 142 countries and seven international organizations in the fight against the pandemic, ranking second worldwide in medical aid and repatriating more than 95,000 citizens to our country through a large series of operations constitutes the concrete results of our approach," he added.
During his speech, Çavuşoğlu also hailed Turkey's state-run Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Turkish Airlines, the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), the Yunus Emre Institute, Turkey's Maarif Foundation and the Turkish Red Crescent for their activities.
