In a key diplomatic move, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted delegations from Russia and Ukraine for a trilateral meeting aimed at advancing peace efforts between Moscow and Kiev.

"We must seize this opportunity to advance on the path to peace. Every day of delay causes more losses of life," Fidan said during his opening speech, addressing delegations from both Russia and Ukraine.

“There was long uncertainty over the level at which diplomatic meetings here would take place,” Associate Prof Suay Nilhan Acikalin, an academician and international relations expert, tells TRT World. 

According to Acikalin, “Two truths have become clear: First, that peace negotiations are once again taking place on Turkish soil — reaffirming that a just peace is unimaginable without Türkiye. And second, that Türkiye has emerged as a vital actor in multilateral diplomacy.”

Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye has positioned itself as an ambitious mediator in international crises. Istanbul, and by extension Dolmabahce Palace, has become a hub for diplomatic dialogue. 

Recent talks hosted at the palace have addressed Ukraine, Middle Eastern ceasefires and energy cooperation, among other fraught subjects. 

“Türkiye’s leadership diplomacy is not only evident—it is decisive,” Acikalin adds. “With its deep-rooted mediation experience and geopolitical centrality, Türkiye has become the capital of diplomacy.”

The choice of Dolmabahce is not merely symbolic. Its architecture and rooms reflect layers of Turkish history.

Perched on the shimmering edge of the Bosphorus, Dolmabahce Palace stands not merely as an architectural marvel but as a living emblem of Türkiye’s transformation—from empire to republic. Now, increasingly, the Palace has become a stage for diplomacy.

The Red Room once received foreign ambassadors. The Crystal Staircase bore the footsteps of sultans and sovereign guests. And in one sombre chamber, Ataturk died—his clock stopped forever at 9:05 a.m., November 10th, 1938.

As Türkiye enters its second century as a republic, Dolmabahce is more than a museum. It is a bridge—between eras, ideologies and continents—projecting national identity and diplomatic intent in equal measure.

Historic and hallowed halls

Once a mooring site for ancient ships, the location was transformed into a royal residence that housed six Ottoman sultans—from Abdulmecid to Vahdettin—as well as the last caliph, Abdulmecid II.

Commissioned by Sultan Abdulmecid in 1843 and completed in 1856, Dolmabahce was conceived during a pivotal era of Ottoman reform. Designed by leading architects of the time—Karabet Balyan, Ohannes Serveryan and James William Smith—the palace fuses Ottoman sensibilities with European Neoclassical, Baroque and Rococo styles.

Spanning 110,000 square metres along the waterfront, it signified the empire’s formal shift from Topkapi Palace, reflecting both political ambition and aesthetic evolution in the 19th century.

In the republican era, it retained its significance: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Türkiye, spent his final days within its walls. Ismet Inonu, the republic’s second president, also conducted state business in its halls.

Nearly 169 years on, Dolmabahce remains a locus of political gravitas. In an era of fracturing alliances and geopolitical friction, the palace has re-emerged as a venue for high-stakes diplomacy. Beneath its chandeliers and within its marble-clad salons, today’s leaders gather not for nostalgia but because the setting evokes continuity, sovereignty and Türkiye’s assertive global posture.

“In a city that links continents,” says Acikalin, “Dolmabahce links centuries—and in doing so, continues to define the rhythm of history.”