Turkey’s power represents hope in influencing a change in the international system that is deteriorating, chairperson and founder of the Crans-Montana Forum, Jean-Paul Carteron said.
Speaking to Daily Sabah on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Mediterranean resort city, Carteron described Turkey as "powerful in terms of culture, history, and influence around the world.
"Multilateralism is not working anymore. I don't know how the world conflicts evolve because nothing is rational anymore. I don't know where we are going," Carteron said, adding that he hopes international efforts are steering things in the right direction, though it is "impossible to know."
"You can see men speaking Turkish even at the Chinese border. You imagine the power you have and it is very important that you have people like President Erdoğan and the First Lady who are deeply involved in that."
He said that the Antalya Diplomacy Forum is a very valuable undertaking for lasting peace and commended President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for putting together such an "important" meeting.
"If we succeed in organizing more such diplomacy forums around the world it will be something very concrete. We really have to sit with others to discuss in a fair manner, what can be done to improve the state of the world and to make our world more humane," he said, adding that the incidents in Ukraine show that the international system is "bankrupt."
Carteron was criticizing the state of the international system and within this scope the Ukraine-Russia war.
At least 691 civilians have been killed and 1,143 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war while more than 3 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, according to the United Nations.
The Crans-Montana Forum, a nongovernmental organization closely working with international institutions, including the EU and the U.N., aims to strengthen international cooperation by promoting good practices and allowing a permanent dialogue between those in the public and private sectors.