President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks with 27 foreign leaders and officials over the past month, with regional developments, particularly those related to Iran and the wider Middle East, dominating his diplomatic agenda.
The talks highlighted Türkiye’s active role in regional diplomacy, as Ankara continued efforts to position itself as a mediator in crises and a venue for dialogue.
Erdoğan held phone calls last month with U.S. President Donald Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as part of efforts to discuss regional tensions and prospects for lasting peace in the Middle East.
He also spoke with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Hungary’s prime minister-elect, Peter Magyar.
Erdoğan’s diplomacy continued during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF), held from April 17-19, where he met with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
In Antalya, Erdoğan also held talks with members of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Presidency Council, as well as the presidents of Slovenia, Moldova, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Comoros and Burundi.
He also received Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
This year, Türkiye hosted 6,400 participants from 150 different countries, including 23 heads of state, 13 vice presidents or prime ministers and 50 ministers, during the 5th ADF held on April 17-19 in Antalya. A total of 52 activities and sessions were organized during the forum, which was held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Politicians, diplomats, academics, students, journalists, lawmakers, security experts, businesspeople, activists and representatives of intergovernmental and civil society organizations discussed various regional and global issues.
Erdoğan later met in Istanbul with the presidents of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Somalia and North Macedonia.
The Turkish president also held separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of efforts to support peace between Moscow and Kyiv. He urged all sides to avoid steps that could escalate tensions, warning that attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea harm regional stability.
During the dialogues, the Turkish president reiterated that Ankara is ready to play a facilitating role in several regions, including Ukraine, Syria and Iran, and remains open to cooperation with its neighbors.
