UN Secretary-General António Guterres has accepted a peace prize awarded to him in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented the Atatürk International Peace Prize to the UN chief in the country’s capital.
Guterres has had a long and distinguished career, most recently becoming Secretary-General of the United Nations in January 2017. In the role, he has led global action in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, gender equality and a number of international conflicts. Before becoming Secretary-General, Guterres spent ten years as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Erdoğan said Türkiye is working intensively to help bring peace to the Middle East and has offered to mediate between the U.S., Israel and Iran in an effort to halt the latest conflict.
"As Türkiye, we are conducting intensive diplomatic efforts to prevent the Iran-centered spiral of violence, which risks dragging our region into total disaster, from expanding. Despite those seeking to crush hopes and make us abandon our struggle, we will continue to work with patience and determination."
He continued: "As a leader who believes that development, peace, and stability are impossible without justice, we will continue to support initiatives to make the UN a more inclusive institution."
At the ceremony, Erdoğan highlighted his country’s role in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which helped prevent a global food crisis. He also pledged to implement the UN House Project in Istanbul, bringing together several UN offices, and referred to Türkiye’s contribution to the UN80 initiative.
He thanked Guterres and the United Nations for their support following the earthquakes in Türkiye, assistance in Gaza, and cooperation on climate projects such as the Zero Waste Project and COP climate initiatives.
After receiving the award, Guterres said: "I have seen Türkiye's global leadership in championing zero-waste initatives and I commend the First Lady's efforts along with preperations towards the COP31 climate conference later this year."
World leaders and other key figures are expected to meet in Antalya, southern Türkiye, in November.
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Türkiye secured their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 1–0 away victory over Kosovo in the European qualifying play-off final, ending a 24-year absence from the tournament.
The World Bank has approved a $2 billion (€1.7 billion) loan to Türkiye for a new railway line across the Bosporus, the country’s Finance Ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
At least 18 people were killed when an inflatable boat carrying migrants sank off Türkiye's western province of Mugla on Wednesday, the coastguard said in a statement, adding that search and rescue efforts continued in the area.
Azerbaijan has voiced strong support for Türkiye following the interception of a fourth ballistic missile over Turkish territory on Monday (30 March), amid rising regional tensions.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
Russian-flagged tanker carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil docked at Cuba's Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, shipping data confirmed, marking a vital and controversial delivery to an island paralysed by severe energy shortages and a suffocating U.S. blockade.
A Russian military An-26 aircraft has crashed in Crimea, killing all 30 people on board, Russia’s Defence Ministry has confirmed.
Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus as Israeli air defences intercepted Iranian missiles, Syrian state television reported on Tuesday.
Former Kyrgyz MP Shairbek Tashiev has been detained in a corruption investigation linked to state oil firm Kyrgyzneftegaz, as the case expands to include members of a powerful political family.
Afghanistan remains the third most affected country globally for unexploded ordnance casualties, with more than 50 people killed or injured each month, a United Nations official has said.
Leading Turkish official Fuat Oktay this week called for the dismantling of Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons stockpile. The head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said Israel’s nuclear capability should be “eliminated as soon as possible”.
Fresh Houthi missile and drone strikes on Israel mark a significant widening of the Iran-centred conflict, raising fears the Yemen-based group could open a new front. Their position near the Bab el-Mandeb strait also threatens global shipping and energy flows.
Pakistan is holding talks with Afghanistan to end the worst conflict between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
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