ISTANBUL 

Türkiye’s foreign minister said Sunday that work is underway for a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump.

Work is ongoing on whether the meeting will take place in the US or Türkiye, Hakan Fidan Fidan told reporters at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2025 in the Turkish resort city, with Anadolu as the global communications partner.

Fidan also said Erdogan intends to visit Syria, adding: "We are working on appropriate conditions, date, and venue."

Stating that during the three-day forum, Türkiye hosted more than 6,000 guests from 155 countries, including 21 presidents and prime ministers, five vice presidents and deputy prime ministers, and 64 Cabinet ministers, Fidan said the gathering brought forward proposals to solve regional and global issues and that this year’s event addressed hopes and concerns about humanity’s common future.

Fidan said the forum also addressed issues from Gaza and Syria to the African continent, as well as other issues such as empowering women, the fight against racism, and forcible displacement.

"Türkiye continues to advocate for a diplomatic approach based on regional ownership and cooperation in the face of global polarization. In this context, we will continue our efforts at full speed to stop the bloodshed in Palestine,” Fidan said, adding that Ankara will also continue to fight against threats to Syria’s security and stability.

Calling on both actors both inside and outside Syria to exercise caution and avoid provocations, Fidan said: “It is also evident that Israel's operations in Syria, which have been going on for a long time, actually serve instability rather than stability.”

Fidan also underscored the need to establish technical military-level agreements, especially on air deconfliction and de-escalation rules to prevent direct confrontation between actors in Syria such as Israel, the US, Türkiye, and Russia.

Azerbaijan is Türkiye’s “brother” country, said Fidan, extending his thanks to Baku for hosting last week’s conflict de-escalation mechanism meeting between Israeli and Turkish delegations in Azerbaijan.

Stating that the meeting primarily involved technical discussions on resolving air traffic issues, Fidan said these meetings could continue whenever necessary.

Fidan underlined that Türkiye will continue to be part of all constructive efforts for a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine, saying Ankara will continue to play an active role in the “restructuring of the European security architecture,” which it is an inseparable part of.

Fidan expressed confidence that the EU would also act with the same “strategic foresight and vision."

Ankara continues to build trust on critical issues, bring parties closer together, and maintain its role as a mediator, Hakan Fidan said.   

Türkiye’s relations with Africa

Saying that Türkiye’s support for the maturation and struggle for independence of post-colonial nation-states in Africa will continue, Fidan added that Ankara will continue to use its long-standing state experience, along with the necessary foreign policy tools, institutions, and its partners and stakeholders in Africa, to foster cooperation both at the institutional level and between states.  

Europe’s security architecture and Türkiye

Urging Europe to define its new security needs, Fidan said a serious will has been shown to “reduce dependency” in Europe’s defense industry.

Saying that a roadmap has been published on financial, technological, and production for this, Fidan added that there are ongoing studies, adjustments, responses, and demands concerning this issue.  

Russia-Ukraine war

On Turkish President Erdogan’s will to contribute to peace in Ukraine, Fidan said Ankara is continuing its efforts on this issue.

The situation is not just Türkiye’s problem, but a global one, Fidan said, underlining that many actors are involved, but Ankara possesses unique characteristics in this regard.

Citing Ankara's friendly ties with both sides, Fidan said it seeks to use these ties to contribute to peace.

He said Russian and US delegations met last week in Istanbul to discuss consular activities.

“Of course, if the parties wish to meet in Türkiye, our door is always open. As long as there is peace,” he added.