Türkiye needs to benefit from the opportunities that the multipolar era will bring, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said at an event organized by the Turkish-American National Steering Committee (TASC) in Washington on Sunday.
"Multipolarity will present new opportunities and threats in many areas, from the economy to social structures, from the development of technology to military balances. Therefore, we have to perceive and understand this multi-polarity of the coming period well and fight accordingly," Kurtulmuş said.
Kurtulmuş is visiting the U.S. from July 6-10 to participate in a NATO parliamentary summit, which will bring together parliamentary leaders from the 32 NATO members as well as Ukraine, including 23 speakers of parliament. Stressing that Türkiye is in "the most difficult region" of the world, he said: "This period also presents a great opportunity for Türkiye ... We will continue our path not by being discouraged by some threats we face or by stepping back from some developments but by taking advantage of the opportunities in front of us. Türkiye is one of the leading countries in the world that can establish contact with all areas of the world and has the potential to develop cultural, political and economic cooperation in all regions," he said.
"There is no second country in the world with as many different foreign policy cards as ours," Kurtulmuş said, adding Türkiye will develop good relations with all countries without having a one-sided understanding. "To give an example, during the Russia-Ukraine war, Türkiye was the only country that could talk to both countries, negotiate with both countries and show both countries the way to negotiation at the diplomacy table."
"In this sense, Türkiye will make the most of the opportunities offered to it by the multipolar world in the coming period by protecting its own interests without being indifferent to the developments in many parts of the world," he added. During the new era, he said that Türkiye considers its relations with the world within a "broad strategy" that can be expressed in three circles: to ensure the peace and well-being of the region, to enhance ties with many nations in the world and to endeavor to establish a world system based on justice and equality.
Kurtulmuş also held a closed-door meeting with representatives of the Muslim community in the U.S. On Monday, he will attend a reception to be hosted by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Kurtulmuş will also participate in a meeting hosted by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and later will meet separately with Turkish journalists and businesspeople.
Meanwhile, addressing an event at the Diyanet Center of America, Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. Sedat Önal said relations with the U.S. are important in every dimension. "We are at a relatively positive point in our relations with America. We caught a momentum," Önal said, adding that Türkiye seeks to improve areas of cooperation in every field and bring views closer together in areas of disagreement.
