Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Türkiye will continue its diplomatic and mediation efforts to help resolve conflicts, warning that declining trust in international institutions is deepening global instability.
In a video message to the 9th Istanbul Mediation Conference, Erdogan thanked the foreign ministry for organising the event and welcomed Istanbul’s growing role as a diplomatic hub.
“I am pleased that Istanbul, which has brought people and cultures together for centuries, has today become one of the centres of diplomacy,” he said.
Erdogan stressed the importance of maintaining diplomatic engagement amid rising conflicts, escalating tensions and declining confidence in international law and institutions.
“As Türkiye, we have made it our principle never to abandon diplomacy, even when parties refuse to talk to one another and hopes are fading,” he said.
He cited prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine and mediation efforts across Africa as examples of Türkiye’s work to open pathways to peace.
Erdogan criticises global power imbalance
Erdogan reiterated his call for reform of the United Nations, repeating his message that “the world is bigger than five” — a reference to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
He said the UN General Assembly had recently convened under the theme “Building Trust Again”, focusing on restoring confidence in the international system.
“Today, millions of people in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan and other crisis zones, who have placed their hopes in the United Nations, are deeply disappointed,” Erdogan said.
“A structure in which the will of more than 190 countries depends on the discretion of five countries is neither fair nor capable of fully restoring trust,” he added.
Erdogan said Türkiye rejected an approach to international politics built on mistrust and maintained that diplomacy remained possible even in the most difficult disputes.
“The issue is whether we can demonstrate the will, courage and sincerity to keep that door open,” he said, adding that Türkiye would continue bringing parties together, mediating to achieve fair solutions and assuming responsibility for peace.
