THE FIFTH ANNUAL AMBASSADORS CONFERENCE

Participating in the Fifth Annual Ambassadors Conference which was held in Ankara, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis delivered a speech in the session titled “Turkey- EU Relations” 

Reminding the words of Ataturk in his speech as “ Our policy, which is fair and open in terms of foreign affairs, is based on the idea of peace in particular and looking for a solution to a problem through international remedies” conforms to our interests and understanding, Egemen Bagis said that the subject of the fifth annual ambassadors conference, “humanitarian diplomacy” was an approach targeted by the founders of the state since the establishment of the Turkish Republic.

Indicating that Turkey became a county to be proud of all over the world, Bagis said:

It is a fact that what lies behind the prestige of Turkey in the international area is our centuries-long tradition of diplomacy and there are some diplomats who have risked their lives for their county and people up to now. Our diplomacy which has gained a quite different dimension now has opened a road to consider all ambassadors of Turkey as the representatives of the justice and peace in their work places. The Turkish diplomacy can rank as the ninth in terms of the number of the diplomats all over the world; however, they have gained a quite different role and position considering their influences”.

Mentioning also the role of Turkey in the Middle East, Bagis noted that the transformation experienced in the Middle East was of prime importance and said:

“Our role in this transformation process in the Middle East clearly affects the attention we have in the West. Today, whenever officials hold a visit to the region, they take our opinion, and even they try to hold consultations with us on their policy for the region. This shows the position Turkey has achieved”.

If we belong to a community which adopts a principle as not to sleep on a full stomach while his neighbour goes hungry, the humanitarian diplomacy is then a process which we have had to follow not only since the establishment of the republic but also throughout our history. Therefore, the limits of our diplomacy are marked by the human factor. Turkey has always been a shelter for those who regard our country as a bridge of hope wherever they are or whichever country they come from.

Today, there are millions of people in Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Egypt who are really aware of the role Turkey has assumed for them”.

Source: AA