Melike HocaogluWhen Türkiye’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said that “we do not consider foreign policy to be limited to geographical borders,” he was articulating more than a diplomatic principle at the 4th Antalya Diplomatic Forum (ADF) 2025.
Fidan was outlining Ankara’s strategic orientation to play a central role in shaping the contours of a new global order. In the vision, he enunciated that diplomacy, not division, is the dominant mode of international engagement.
His call to “restore justice through diplomacy” reflected the Forum’s theme: Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World. It also showcased Türkiye’s commitment to serve as an honest mediator in a largely unstable geopolitical environment.
Against the backdrop of escalating crises from Gaza to Ukraine, and amid growing disillusionment with multilateral institutions, the Forum made the case for diplomacy as the only viable route through global instability.
The opening day was dedicated entirely to Gaza, a pointed choice highlighting Türkiye’s prioritisation of justice and human dignity.
Enrique Jaime Calderon, El Salvador’s ambassador to Ankara, told this writer: “In this edition, the importance of multilateral approaches and diplomacy in the current international order has been highlighted. I believe in the potential of dialogue, negotiation and the need for spaces such as the ADF to address global challenges.”
He added: “I have no doubt that the Antalya Diplomatic Forum will consolidate over the years in a multilateral space of great importance to address the critical issues that afflict our world.”
The event drew over 6,000 participants from 155 countries, including 21 heads of state and government, and 64 ministers.
Al Sharaa and pragmatic diplomacy
Among the Forum’s more significant diplomatic gestures was the participation of Ahmed al Sharaa, the president of Syria’s Transitional Government. His attendance marked a rare re-emergence of Damascus on the multilateral stage.
“Our attendance is due to the Syrian Arab Republic's deep conviction that dialogue and diplomacy are the most effective ways to resolve conflicts and consolidate peace and stability in our region and in the world,” said al Sharaa, affirming a commitment to diplomacy that echoed the Forum’s core messaging and ethos.
Al Sharaa used the platform to hold high-level bilateral meetings, including Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani.
These meetings demonstrate Syria’s intent and willingness to re-enter regional diplomatic circuits and participate in future peace-building efforts in the Middle East and beyond.
These talks on Syria’s part also suggested a shift toward inclusivity, reconstruction, and regional ownership of peace processes, offering cautious optimism for a future based on cooperation and mutual respect.
Russia’s message on “cooperation and harmonisation”
No less forceful was the intervention of Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, who used the occasion to restate Moscow’s positions on the war in Ukraine and the broader global order.
Lavrov said that “there is no world economic globalisation anymore,” blaming not Donald Trump but Joe Biden for “destroying” the global financial system through sanctions.
“It was destroyed, not by Trump, but by Biden when he introduced sanctions and made them the sole instrument of his foreign policy.”
Speaking on the second day of the high-profile international event, Lavrov said Trump “seems to understand much, much, much more about what is happening [in Ukraine] than any European leader,” emphasising what he described as the US President’s nuanced understanding of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, unlike his European counterparts.
Lavrov’s sharper comments were reserved for the Global South. “The new world order will only be possible if these geographies recover,” he said, referencing Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
His remarks were a reference to deeper strategic cooperation with emerging powers such as China and India, as well as with blocs like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, ASEAN, and the Eurasian Economic Union, among others.
“And about 10 years ago, we started to build these bridges without having anything in mind in the security area, but in the economic, logistical area, looking for ways to cooperate, to join efforts, to harmonise plans. And this is a promising process. We call it the Higher Eurasian Partnership,” he said.
Latin America’s vision: Trade, sovereignty and inclusion
The forum provided an opportunity for leaders, officials and experts from Latin America and the Caribbean to exchange ideas and spaces to address this juncture, from the challenges to the political, social and economic opportunities in a changing world.
In one of the featured panels, entitled “Regional Perspectives from LAC on Global Economic Partnerships,” Noemi Espinoza Madrid of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), delivered a compelling speech.
She captured the region’s mood, calling the Greater Caribbean a “zone of peace” endowed with vast natural and cultural resources, uniquely positioned to contribute to global solutions in times of fragmentation. The Caribbean, she said, possesses the cultural and natural capital to play a more active role in shaping global solutions.
Julio Eduardo Orozco Perez, Guatemala’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasised the centrality of small and medium-sized enterprises in regional development. “The integration of the private sector plays a fundamental role in regional development. We must promote small and medium-sized enterprises, enabling them to prosper and generate employment, which, in turn, supports migration management,” he said.
Hector Cardenas, President of Mexico’s Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI), pointed to a dual-track approach: “Mexico’s strategy revolves around protecting and strengthening our relations within the Mexico-US-Canada Agreement (T-MEC), while at the same time exploring new markets. It is essential that we integrate with non-traditional partners such as Türkiye to expand trade and investment opportunities.”
Carlos Guevara Mann, Panama’s Deputy Foreign Minister, echoed the call for diversification: “Latin American countries must boost interregional trade through organisations such as the ACS, Mercosur and Central American regional agreements,” he said.
“We should also explore new alliances with countries like Türkiye to diversify and strengthen our economic ties.”
The panel on global economic partnerships was more than just a discussion: it was a reaffirmation of the region's growing strategic weight and its readiness to forge a more equitable international order.
As dialogues continue and partnerships evolve, in a world marked by fragmentation, building bridges is not only valuable but essential.
