Erdoğan: We are working to open the path to peace

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a video message to the 9th Istanbul Mediation Conference, hosted by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The event, held under the theme “Peace Through Partnerships and New Perspectives: Mediation in a Changing World,” took place at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center.

Erdoğan said the world is passing through a period of rising global conflict, mounting tensions and eroding trust in international law and institutions. He said Türkiye remains committed to diplomacy even when parties are not talking and hopes are fading, citing prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine and mediation efforts across the African continent.

Recalling that this year's UN General Assembly was held under the theme “Rebuilding Trust,” Erdoğan said millions of people in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan and other crisis regions were deeply disappointed. He argued that a system in which the will of more than 190 countries depends on the whim of five countries can be neither just nor capable of fully establishing trust. Türkiye, he said, will continue to bring parties together for peace and mediate for fair solutions.