Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that the world is facing a deep crisis of power and direction, urging renewed commitment to diplomacy, dialogue and rules-based cooperation as global tensions rise.
Speaking at the opening of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Friday, Erdogan stressed that conflicts across regions, from Gaza to Ukraine, highlight the failure of existing global mechanisms and the urgent need for reform and collective action.
The three-day forum, held under the theme “Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties”, has brought together world leaders and senior officials in southern Türkiye to address growing geopolitical instability and shifting global dynamics.
Warning of global crisis
Erdogan said the international system is not only undergoing a shift in power but also facing a deeper “crisis of direction”, warning that the world has reached a “serious and dangerous threshold”.
He criticised global institutions for failing to uphold justice and protect civilians, saying mechanisms tasked with safeguarding human rights remain ineffective and often indifferent in the face of major violations.
He described the current crisis as “moral and existential”, pointing to conflicts in Syria, Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon as evidence of systemic failure.
Gaza and global system
The Turkish president said the situation in Gaza represents more than a humanitarian tragedy, describing it as a genocide that exposes the limits and biases of the current global order. He questioned how trust could be maintained in a system that fails to prevent civilian suffering and mass violence, urging the international community to confront what he called a collapse in moral responsibility.
Erdogan added that global governance structures must be reformed to ensure accountability and fairness.
Diplomacy over conflict
“No matter how deep disputes may be, we must not allow weapons to replace dialogue,” Erdogan said, underscoring Türkiye’s commitment to peaceful foreign policy. He reiterated Ankara’s readiness to facilitate negotiations in ongoing conflicts, including potential direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, and even a leaders’ summit if conditions allow.