Antalya Diplomacy Forum could evolve into UN-style regional platform, analyst says

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum could evolve into a UN-style regional platform, bringing together diverse international actors, a political analyst has said.

Dr Melih Demirtas, a former diplomat, told AnewZ’s Daybreak programme on Monday (20 April) that the annual gathering of world leaders organised by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs “could resemble a smaller version of the United Nations in spirit.”

Demirtas said the meeting in the Turkish city of Antalya has the capacity to bring “different kinds of actors” together, noting the presence of the foreign ministers of both Russia and Ukraine at the conference.

“We hope such a mechanism can be institutionalised, possibly with the participation of the U.S., and perhaps with contributions from Russia or China from the outside,” Demirtas added.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev attended this year’s meeting, alongside Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, and Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Officials from Egypt and Saudi Arabia were also represented at the conference. 

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While Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan did not attend this year’s Antalya Forum, instead sending a deputy minister, Demirtas said the situation in the Caucasus still appears to be progressing positively.

“Looking at developments over the past year, thanks to diplomatic efforts by Azerbaijan and positive signals from Armenia, particularly Prime Minister Pashinyan and his government, we see encouraging progress,” he said.

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