Ankara to focus on ‘human’ diplomacy

ANKARA

Turkish FM Davutoğlu will meet his Brazilian and Swedish countrparts on the sidelines of the conference to deepen trilateral initiative that formed in 2012.

The fifth annual ambassadors’ conference of the Foreign Ministry will be held Jan. 2 to 7 with the main theme being “humanitarian diplomacy.”

“While diplomacy is being conducted, humanitarian elements should be taken into consideration,” diplomatic sources told the Hürriyet Daily News, citing Turkey’s efforts in Africa as an example. In the last few years Turkey has been reaching out to different regions in need, with Africa being the most visible example. Coordination with civil society organizations in these efforts has been maintained, while the Prime Ministry’s Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) plays a key role in the coordination.

This year’s conference will be held in Ankara and İzmir. After the first part is held in Ankara, participants will proceed to İzmir on Jan. 7. These annual conferences are important for outlining strategies for the future and to provide coordination with other organizations and institutions that play a role in the implementation of foreign policy, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. As in past years, foreign politicians will also participate in the conference. Singaporean Foreign Minister K Shanmugam will participate in the Ankara leg, while Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt will participate in the İzmir leg and address the ambassadors.

In September 2012 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Turkey’s Ahmet Davutoğlu, Patriota and Bildt had launched the initiative of “three soft powers from three continents,” which aimed at preventing assaults on sacred values. In İzmir, the three will hold the second meeting of this initiative.

The initiative also aims to secure diplomats in foreign missions by taking more precautions against the terrorist threats they face.

Wide participation

In addition to the deputy prime ministers – Bülent Arınç, Ali Babacan, Beşir Atalay and Bekir Bozdağ – Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin, EU Minister Egemen Bağış, Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız, Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin, Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay and Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım are expected to attend the conference.