Erdogan meets leaders at Antalya Diplomacy Forum

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a series of bilateral meetings with leaders from Azerbaijan, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Libya on the sidelines of the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, highlighting Türkiye’s push to deepen regional partnerships and advance dialogue amid global instability.

The three-day forum, which began on Friday in the Mediterranean city of Antalya, convenes world leaders, diplomats, and policy experts under the theme "Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World". 

The event seeks to address major global challenges — including geopolitical tensions, inequality, violence, and climate change — while emphasising diplomacy’s role in rebuilding trust and cooperation.

Türkiye-Azerbaijan ties highlighted amid regional peace efforts

During his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Erdogan reaffirmed the strength of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan partnership, with a focus on strategic sectors such as energy, transportation, and defence, according to a statement from the Turkish Communications Directorate.

Erdogan also praised the ongoing peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, describing it as "commendable" and underscoring Türkiye’s support for Azerbaijan’s role as a key architect of peace in the South Caucasus. 

He added that Ankara is continuing its normalisation efforts with Armenia in parallel, signaling a broader regional stabilisation initiative.

Montenegro talks focus on economic cooperation

In talks with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic, Erdogan emphasised the mutual benefits of boosting economic relations between Türkiye and Montenegro. 

He proposed taking new steps in the near future to deepen cooperation, particularly in trade.

“Increasing the bilateral trade volume is a primary goal,” Erdogan said, as both sides discussed potential avenues for expanding economic collaboration.

Dialogue with Kosovo and Libya amid ongoing engagement

Erdogan also met with Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu and Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, continuing Türkiye’s active diplomatic engagement in the Balkans and North Africa. 

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani praised Türkiye's continued support for her country during her speech at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) on Friday.

"I thank President Erdogan for his personal engagement since when he was prime minister in making sure that more and more nations around the world recognise our struggle for freedom and our right in independence," Osmani said, speaking as a panelist at the "ADFTalks" session.

Ankara has consistently supported political stability, development, and post-conflict recovery in both countries.

Türkiye maintains strong cultural and historical ties with the Balkans, and it has played a significant role in Libya’s political process in recent years, including support for the Tripoli-based government led by Dbeibeh.

Meeting with Hungary’s Orban

President Erdogan also met with Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary on the sidelines of the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

The meeting addressed bilateral relations between Türkiye and Hungary, as well as regional and global issues.

According to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate, cooperation between Türkiye and Hungary has been strengthening.

During their meeting, President Erdogan emphasised that further steps in areas such as the economy, trade, energy, and the defence industry would serve the common interests of both countries by deepening bilateral relations.

Noting that relations between Türkiye and the European Union need to be strengthened for the security and prosperity of Europe, Erdogan added that maintaining dialogue in this regard is important, and stated that Türkiye has maintained its principled stance from the very beginning to help achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Erdogan meets Barzani, Al Sani

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held separate meetings with Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq, and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Sani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar.

According to the directorate, Erdogan and Barzani discussed Türkiye-Iraq relations, cooperation with the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government, as well as regional and global issues.

Erdogan stressed that the swift completion of the government formation process in Northern Iraq is crucial for the region's stability and noted that Türkiye is closely following the situation in Kirkuk.

He also emphasised the importance of solidarity between Türkiye and the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government in combating terrorism and expressed wishes “for the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government to benefit from the Development Road Project to the greatest extent possible.”

In a separate meeting, Erdogan and Abdulrahman al Thani discussed bilateral relations between Türkiye and Qatar, as well as regional and global issues.

The Turkish president stressed that Ankara has been enhancing its relations with Qatar in all areas within the framework of brotherly ties.

Erdogan also emphasised the importance of Qatar’s mediating role in regional tensions, noting that efforts to reestablish a ceasefire in Gaza are ongoing.

The forum aims to restore faith in diplomacy

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum, organised by Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry, has become a key venue for global leaders and diplomats to engage in candid dialogue amid increasing polarisation and fragmentation in international relations. 

This year’s theme reflects growing concerns over the weakening of multilateralism and the need to revive diplomacy as a tool for peace and cooperation.

As Türkiye positions itself as a mediator and regional power broker, Erdogan’s bilateral meetings on the forum’s opening day signal Ankara’s intent to remain actively involved in shaping dialogue and resolving conflicts in its surrounding regions.