“The war has shown just how important the security of the Black Sea region is.”
This was said by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov of Bulgaria at the diplomatic forum in Antalya.
Representatives from 140 countries are participating in the forum.
“Rising global challenges call for more multilateral governance and international cooperation worldwide. We are part of the global system, and all of us share the responsibility for preserving, maintaining, and building international peace and security,” he stated.
Over the course of three days, thousands of participants will exchange views on critical regional and global issues and discuss potential solutions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a strong call for peace.
Erdoğan officially opened the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF 2025), where he was welcomed with a standing ovation in the 4,000-seat hall. According to special correspondent Fatme Mustafova of the Standart newspaper, First Lady Emine Erdoğan accompanied the President.
“We are highly pleased with the great interest shown in our forum, which has become one of the world’s leading events in the field of foreign policy and international relations. Today in Antalya, we are once again declaring collectively to the entire world that we favour dialogue over conflicts, common sense over polarisation, and global conscience over power struggles.” Erdoğan said.
Emphasising that the messages of peace and friendship given to the whole world from Antalya give this forum a different place, Erdoğan said, "Thousands of participants will exchange views and offer solutions on critical regional and global issues for a period of three days. The heart of global diplomacy will once again beat in Antalya."
"While humanity makes consecutive strides in technology, the international system cannot display the same performance. We are grappling with problems concerning all humanity, such as terrorism, hunger, racism, poverty, Islamophobia, anti-immigration, and the climate crisis. We unfortunately see that the international community falls short of developing more just and more conscientious policies. We witness this failure particularly in the conflicts and tensions occurring in our region." President Erdoğan said, and he added:
"We need to give more prominence to diplomacy’s capability of making humanitarian, enterprising, and future-oriented formulations."
"The world is bigger than five!"
"Because humanity is bigger than five. While making this formulation, our goal has been to make such an understanding dominant. Given its expertise as well as its historical, social, and cultural richness, Türkiye is one of the top countries to be able to send this message with the greatest ease." President Erdoğan noted.
President Erdoğan emphasises peace
"We want to see a region where prosperity and stability prevail over bloodshed, tears, sufferings, and tensions. This is the world we wish to live in and leave to our children."
"By fostering good relations with our neighbours, expanding the means for cooperation and trade, and building bridges of dialogue between conflicting parties, we are striving to establish a belt of peace and security around our country," he said.
Erdoğan condemns Israel's attacks on Gaza
"A tent sheltering reporters in the city of Khan Younis was bombed by Israeli forces just a few days ago. Three journalists were killed in this attack, with 10 others, including nine members of the press, heavily wounded," Erdoğan said.
Türkiye's role in NATO and Europe
Erdoğan also said, "NATO is the foundation of Euro-Atlantic security and is one of the building blocks of Turkish foreign policy and national security. Amid the current debates on NATO’s future as well as on the European security architecture, it has been understood once again that Europe’s security cannot be considered without Türkiye. With the great strides it has made in the defence industry in recent years, Türkiye, which commands the second largest land army within NATO, stands ready to take responsibility in the future for European security."
Türkiye's expectations for EU membership
"On the other hand, allegations and criticisms suggesting that Türkiye is drifting away from its EU goal are null and void in our view. Full membership in the European Union remains a strategic goal for our country. However, at times due to fears, at other times due to prejudices, or due to actors who have taken the Union hostage from within, the European Union fails to demonstrate the necessary will to advance our EU membership process," said Erdoğan.
Emphasising that the European Union needs to liberate itself from its burdens and Türkiye needs to gain its seat in the Union as soon as possible, Erdoğan stated, "We are ready and determined to move forward. We expect the European Union to take concrete steps as well."
Cooperation in the field of defence
"There cannot be a strong foreign policy without a strong defence industry. We owe our current self-confidence to our progress in the defence industry, along with other steps we have taken. We have achieved an 80 per cent domestic production rate in the defence industry." Erdoğan said and continued:
"We have moved far beyond meeting our needs with our armed and unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles, vessels, helicopters, tanks, rockets, missiles, and many other capabilities. While taking firm steps towards our 10-billion-dollar target in annual exports in the defence industry, we also continuously strengthen our cooperation with the friendly and brotherly countries."
Expectations for Improvement in Turkish-US Relations
"We attach great importance to our 100-billion-dollar trade target with our ally and strategic partner, the USA. I believe that in President Trump's second term, with the contribution of our close friendship, our relations with the United States will flourish in every area," Erdoğan said.
Relations with Russia
"Our relations with the Russian Federation, with which we have a deep-rooted history, are strengthening day by day on a multidimensional basis. We are determined to expand our cooperation with Russia, with which we share a common geography, based on mutual interests and respect," added Erdoğan.
President Erdoğan also underlined that they will maintain a balanced and proactive stance regarding the Russia-Ukraine war.