Turkey and Qatar... towards a new alliance

Last weekend Turkey witnessed very important international meetings, and leaders from many parts of the world participated in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, which took place from 11-13 March. The international media focused in particular on covering the meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, headed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The Antalya Diplomatic Forum made it clear that the world needs a new diplomatic language. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "The most important indicator of Turkey's growing power in the region and the world is the diplomatic forum that was held in Antalya and attended by 17 heads of state from all over the world."

The main theme of the 2022 Diplomatic Forum was "Rebuild Diplomacy". The forum highlighted the global agenda through a meeting on which world capitals focused in particular. Erdogan delivered an influential speech in which he touched on the Ukrainian crisis, criticized the existing international order, and prioritized diplomacy. He also described the goal of rebuilding diplomacy by saying, "We are compelled to build a world where peace prevails, not war." Erdogan referred to the injustice that the world is witnessing because of the system based on the interests of the five victorious countries after World War II. He said this system had raised the banner of bankruptcy with the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, and that it was disrupted because one of the parties to the conflict is a permanent member of the United Nations (Russia).

Erdogan spoke about the injustice that exists in the UN Security Council, due to the difference between the permanent and temporary members, stressing that he calls for reforming the United Nations system, not only for the sake of Turkey, "but for the sake of our people and all of humanity." He stressed "the necessity of establishing a new global security architecture that is keen on peace, instead of the status quo, and that serves all humanity instead of the interests of five countries," indicating his desire to advance diplomacy to higher levels. Erdogan believes that diplomacy must be activated before the outbreak of crises, not after, because the problem that is not focused on ultimately affects the neglected parties as well. The convening of the forum with the participation of representatives from 75 countries in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which pushed the international system towards a new state of ambiguity, and its quest to find a solution to it within the framework of diplomacy, was also important. In his opening speech, Minister Çavuşoğlu described the forum as "the 500-year-old gift of the Turkish Foreign Ministry", stressing that there is a need for a "new language and understanding" in diplomacy. Everyone knows that Turkey is the world's most focused country on the injustice that exists in the structure of the current international system. Erdogan's slogan "a more just world can be built" is a reflection of Turkey's longstanding efforts to revitalize diplomacy. Former foreign ministers of Europe stated, during a recent joint meeting, that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis could have been resolved with diplomacy before it began, but unfortunately no one has made great efforts in this regard, and many international relations experts have made similar statements in their interviews and articles.

summary of speech; The world is in need of a new diplomatic language, and in this regard, Qatar is leading shuttle diplomacy similar to that practiced by Turkey in the region. The Emir of Qatar has also held diplomatic talks with many state leaders, recently, in order to find a solution to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Therefore, we can say that both Turkey and Qatar are leading a new diplomacy at the global level, and the two countries are keen to protect the interests of the region and basic human values. And there are very big responsibilities that fall on their shoulders in order to achieve this. New major alliances must be forged in order to prevent the growth of injustice, hunger and conflict in the world. A new alliance led by Turkey and Qatar must be built immediately, as the Antalya Diplomatic Forum made clear that many countries need this. Turkey and Qatar should now take the cooperation that they have developed in recent years to a higher level.

Turkish writer