Antalya Diplomacy Forum convenes world leaders ‘in times of turmoil’

More than 20 heads of state and government from over 100 nations are set to convene in southern Türkiye for the 3rd Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) next month, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

The forum will be held under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan between March 1-3, spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said in a statement.

It will also host approximately 90 ministers, including more than 60 foreign ministers, as well as 80 representatives of international organizations.

Keçeli noted that around 4,000 guests, including students, are expected to attend the forum and more than 50 sessions will be held on various topics.

An event will also be held on the sidelines, which will assemble members of the Gaza Contact Group, originally set up by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to take international action to stop the conflict in Gaza and help achieve lasting peace.

The forum, held since 2021, takes place in the scenic Turkish southern resort city of Antalya. Last year’s summit was delayed due to the devastating twin earthquakes that shook southeastern Türkiye in February, causing the deaths of tens of thousands.

The forum aims to promote Türkiye’s diplomacy and foreign relations while advancing its friendship and cooperation with other nations. It takes place annually to contribute to Ankara’s regional and global values in diplomacy.

In 2022, the ADF was the scene of the first face-to-face meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukraine’s Dmytro Kuleba after the war started, as the forum provided a platform to discuss global challenges.

‘Times of Turmoil’

Notably, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its third year and Israel’s war on Gaza is nearing its sixth month, this year’s main theme is “Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil.”

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the theme aims to serve as “a thorough reflection and the means for searching a peaceful way out of the turbulent period the world has been going through.”

“Ongoing wars, acts of terrorism, irregular migration, the rise of xenophobia and Islamophobia, unforeseen risks of artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, natural disasters, pandemics and widening socioeconomic gaps form a non-exhaustive list of global challenges,” the ministry’s statement said.

“The erosion and loss of trust in the rules-based international order is also a worrying trend, undermining the predictability of the environment in which states operate.”

It pointed out that these challenges may act as “agents leading to structural changes in the global political, economic and security landscape” and assured the forum would also tackle the impact of elections to be held in 2024 on “pressing international issues, as well as concerns on AI manipulated disinformation and fake news.”