Turkey kicks off Antalya Diplomacy Forum

Turkey will kick off Antalya Diplomacy Forum on June 18 in the southern province of Antalya where world leaders and dozens of foreign ministers as well as prominent diplomats, academics and journalists will convene for several discussions.

The forum will convene between June 18 and 20 under the title of "Innovative Diplomacy: New Era, New Approaches" through multiple panels and round tables devoted to regional issues and thematic subjects.

The developments in the Middle East and the Gulf, the eastern Mediterranean, the Southern Caucasus, Africa, Asia and Europe, the fight against extremism and discrimination, the global fight against terrorism and the future expectations in energy are some of the thematic topics that will be discussed during the two-day forum.

The forum will host 12 heads of state, 43 foreign ministers, four former heads of state, representatives of international organizations and intellectuals from all around the world.

Turkey expects the European Union to proceed with its accession process, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on June 17 while rejecting categorization by the bloc between Turkey and the Balkans in its policy papers.

"We cannot reconcile the artificial distinction between the Western Balkans and Turkey with our common assessments. Despite all the injustices we have faced, we want the full membership negotiation, which we have persistently continued for half a century, to conclude," Erdoğan said, addressing the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

Turkey is one of the crucial partners of Europe in the field of energy, Erdoğan said.

"Turkey is also one of Europe's most important partners in energy. TANAP fortifies the energy security of southeast Europe as well as the rest...