The 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum opened in Türkiye on Friday, gathering global leaders and top officials to discuss rising international challenges and uncertainties, including the Middle East war.
Held under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and hosted by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the three-day forum is taking place in the southern Mediterranean city of Antalya under the theme "Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties."
The high-stakes forum is also bringing together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Pakistan's powerful army chief met senior negotiators in Tehran on Thursday as Washington and Iran considered a fresh round of talks to end the six-week war.
The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are to meet on the sidelines of the forum, with the war and the blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz expected to dominate. The timing of the meeting has not yet been announced.
Pakistan has positioned itself as a key mediator in regional diplomacy, having hosted rare talks between Iran and the U.S. last weekend, which ended inconclusively.
"We are making the necessary efforts to reduce tensions, extend the cease-fire and continue the negotiations," Erdogan said in an address to his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Parliament this week.
"Negotiations cannot take place with clenched fists. Weapons must not be allowed to speak again instead of words. The window of opportunity opened by the cease-fire must be fully utilized."
The White House has said further talks with Iran would "very likely" be in Islamabad, where Vice President JD Vance led the U.S. delegation in the last round of negotiations.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who met Qatar's ruler in Doha on Thursday as part of a regional tour, will also join the forum and meet Erdoğan on its margins, as Islamabad pushes for a U.S.-Iran second round.
"We will continue to provide all the support we can to ensure that the ongoing temporary cease-fire turns into a permanent one," a Turkish Defense Ministry source said on Thursday.
"We hope that this war, whose effects are being felt increasingly not only regionally but also globally, will come to an end as soon as possible, and that the parties will act constructively in the ongoing negotiation process," the source said.
Türkiye, while a vocal critic of Israel, has joined diplomatic efforts with Egypt and Pakistan to help reach a cease-fire in the conflict.
Ankara has said the Middle East cease-fire should include Lebanon, which is facing Israeli attacks.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz should be reopened "as soon as possible" while warning that its status would remain a key point of contention.
He described the waterway as an "international free passage zone," adding that any disruption to freedom of navigation is not something parties want to see."
More than 150 countries are expected to take part in the Antalya gathering, including more than 20 heads of state and government.
Among the participants are Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
More than 150 countries are represented at the event, including over 20 heads of state and government and nearly 15 deputy leaders. The forum also brings together more than 50 ministers – over 40 of them foreign ministers – as well as representatives from 75 international organizations.
In total, more than 460 high-level participants and nearly 5,000 attendees, including academics and students, are expected to take part.
Participants from Africa and Europe make up nearly half of the attending heads of state, while foreign ministers are expected to join mainly from Africa (around 40%), Europe (35%) and Asia (22%).
The forum features more than 40 panels and events, including leadership-level discussions addressing political, economic, environmental and technological challenges, with a particular focus on the evolving global landscape.
Sessions are being streamed live on the forum's official website and social media platforms, with several also broadcast by Türkiye's public broadcaster TRT.
