Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has urged regional powers to take ownership of conflicts in their respective areas, citing a decline in global governance and weakening multilateralism. Speaking at the Fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026) in Antalya on Saturday, Fidan described the current international order as being in a "free fall" since the post-Cold War system began deteriorating after 2010. He argued that global diplomatic platforms often overlook crises in the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean, making regional dialogue essential. The forum, themed "Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties," ran for three days starting Friday and brought together 20 heads of state, 40 foreign ministers, and over 5,000 participants from around 150 countries.
Fidan emphasized that regional cooperation among mature nation-states is more effective than external intervention, warning that "hegemons come to fix the problem, they create more problems than solutions." He stressed Türkiye's commitment to engaging all parties in conflicts—from Ukraine and Gaza to Iran and parts of Africa—through diplomacy rather than alignment. According to Fidan, interconnected regional conflicts are prone to escalation and have far-reaching consequences, including disrupted trade and widespread instability. "In a war, you need to take sides but in diplomacy, you need to engage with every party," he said, underscoring the need for preventive dialogue. The event featured discussions on political, economic, environmental, and technological challenges shaping the global landscape.
Hakan Fidan criticizes global powers for imposing solutions while positioning Türkiye as a neutral diplomat, yet Ankara is deeply involved in multiple regional conflicts. If regional ownership is key, then Türkiye's own engagements in places like Syria, Libya, and parts of Africa require the same scrutiny it applies to others. The call for mature regional dialogue rings hollow when actions by regional actors, including Türkiye, often deepen instability. For Nigerians affected by spillover from Sahel conflicts, diplomatic talk must translate to concrete de-escalation, not just forums.
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