Antalya Diplomacy Forum opens with leaders from over 150 countries

ANTALYA

World leaders, foreign ministers and senior officials are gathering in Türkiye’s southern resort city of Antalya for the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which opens on April 17 under the theme “Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties.”

Held under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and hosted by the Foreign Ministry, the three-day event is expected to focus on the wars, political volatility and economic pressures reshaping the international system.

Erdoğan will address the three-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum when it opens on April 17.

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are to meet on the sidelines of the forum, with the war and the blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz expected to dominate. The timing of the meeting has not yet been announced.

Turkish officials say representatives from more than 150 countries will attend, including over 20 heads of state and government, nearly 15 deputy leaders and more than 50 ministers, over 40 of them foreign ministers. More than 75 international organizations, over 460 high-level participants and nearly 5,000 guests are also expected in Antalya.

The forum will host more than 40 sessions and events, including leadership panels and high-level talks on political, economic, environmental and technological challenges. The official agenda reflects a broad effort by Ankara to position the gathering as a venue for dialogue at a time when the global order is under growing strain.

On the sidelines, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is expected to take part in a series of key meetings, including the third foreign ministers’ meeting of the Balkan Peace Platform, a Gaza-focused session and an informal meeting of the Organization of Turkic States foreign ministers.

Among the participants are Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

 Al-Sharaa held talks in Antalya a day before the forum with U.S. envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, according to the Syrian presidency.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama also attended the meeting, while Barrack said afterward that President Donald Trump had been right to extend “trust and opportunity” to al-Sharaa.

Since its launch in 2021, the Antalya Diplomacy Forum has grown into one of Türkiye’s flagship diplomatic platforms.