ANTALYA, Turkiye

Politicians, diplomats, opinion makers, and academics from around the world have gathered in Turkiye to discuss hot-button global issues at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF).

The second edition of the annual event kicked off on Friday with panel discussions and will be followed by opening speeches of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The forum, of which Anadolu Agency is the communications partner, will continue with various panel discussions through Sunday, where prominent participants will discuss a wide range of topics concerning international relations.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell are also among the participants of the forum.

Another significant dignitary to attend the forum is Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan who arrived in Antalya Thursday in the backdrop of talks to normalize relations with Turkiye.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisaid Muse Ali, European Parliament standing rapporteur on Turkiye Nacho Sanchez Amor are also among the participants.

The event is being held at the NEST Congress and Exhibition Center in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya under the theme of “Recoding Diplomacy”.

Prominent leaders and diplomats from different countries will hold debates of global importance, including the "Price of Peace, Cost of War" and "Pathways to Peace and Prosperity."

Democratic Governance, Leadership and Diplomacy, Energy Security, Fighting Racism and Discrimination, Irregular Migration, Revisiting Security in Europe, Climate Change & Energy Transition, Green Economy and Empowering Women are among the panel discussions scheduled for the event.

In addition to the panels, the forum will host special guests, roundtable meetings, and other events.

“The participants will address a wide range of topics in international relations under the overarching theme of Recoding Diplomacy,” according to a statement on the organizers’ website.

“Diplomacy is indeed transforming. Its language and methods are changing,” the statement added. “Competition, discord and even conflict are constants in international affairs and affect humanity with changing dynamic.”

“New fluctuations in global affairs coupled by the Covid-19 pandemic have exacerbated the need for transformation,” it added. “Shifts in the relationship between state and the individual as well as technological innovation require attention.”

The forum comes a day after the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Ukraine, and Russia met early Thursday intending to reach a lasting peace as the Russia-Ukraine war has entered its third week.

The high-level tripartite meeting began at 11.20 a.m. local time (0820GMT) on the sidelines of the forum and lasted for more than an hour.

Last year, the forum was held under the theme of "Innovative Diplomacy: New Era, New Approaches."