Global leaders and senior government officials have converged on Antalya, Türkiye, for this year’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum, an annual multilateral conference aimed at managing current global uncertainty.

The three-day annual conference, which kicks off on Friday in the serene southern Mediterranean city, is hosted by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the auspices of President Recep Erdogan.

Participants include 20 heads of state and government; 40 foreign ministers; 60 invited foreign media; over 5,000 decision-makers, academics, experts and diplomats, among others, from about 150 countries.

Prominent dignitaries in attendance include Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov; secretary-general of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Gheit; Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdel-Aty; and UNESCO director-general, Khaled El-Enany.

The multilateral diplomatic conference, initiated by Mr Erdogan in 2021, opens this year in an international environment characterised by the erosion of traditional alliances and security norms.

The event kicks off amid several globally sensitive issues, such as the U.S.-Israel-Iran war and its attendant energy security and maritime routes crisis, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and other international conflicts.

The ADF is Türkiye’s multilateral engagement strategy to bolster strategic ties, reshape global governance narratives, and position itself as a diplomatic counterweight to Western institutions while promoting multipolar cooperation frameworks.

Participants say ADF2026 significantly provides a pivotal platform for international dialogue on myriad issues, as the world currently witnesses rapid geopolitical transformations, characterised by international tensions and increasing uncertainty.

They say the forum aims to interrogate and address the genuine concerns of nation-states, which no longer just seek to gain influence but to define their position within an ill-defined international system.

“It is a platform for discussion, a tool of Turkish diplomacy, and a direct reflection of Turkey’s foreign policy strategy, based on balancing international powers, engaging with competing parties simultaneously, and combining mediation with active diplomacy.

“The forum differs from other international gatherings, such as the World Economic Forum and the Munich Security Conference in several ways, especially its flexibility in discussions and not being bound by pre-established scenarios.

“The forum allows space for multiple viewpoints without imposing a single vision, encourages informal meetings between rival parties, and has previously proven effective in creating channels of communication between conflicting parties,” Mohamed Tharwat, a journalist and diplomatic analyst, said.

He said that, as happened in important past diplomatic meetings between Russia and Ukraine and Azerbaijan and Armenia, ADF does not seek to resolve conflicts directly but focuses on managing international differences.

Mr Tharwat further explained that the forum reflects several important shifts, including the rising role of regional powers in shaping the international order, and represents a leading model for international dialogue platforms in an era of complexity and uncertainty.

The forum also features more than 40 panels, discussions and sessions covering a wide range of topics shaped by contemporary political, economic, environmental, and technological dynamics.

(NAN)