During his visit to Antalya on 12 and 13 April 2025, Secretary General Alain Berset took part in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, organised by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This high-level annual gathering brought together over 4,000 participants - heads of state and government, ministers, leaders of international organisations, experts and civil society representatives - under the theme "Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil".
In this context, the Secretary General held several bilateral meetings, including with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, Kubanychbek Omuraliev, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim A. A. Khan, and the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt. These exchanges provided an opportunity to address topics of common interest related to the human rights situation, the preservation of democracy in the face of crises, and multilateral cooperation to address current geopolitical challenges. The Secretary General reiterated the importance of the role of the Council of Europe as a pillar of the protection of rights and freedoms in Europe, and reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening international partnerships. He also published a statement on the situation in Türkiye.
The participation of the Secretary General in the Antalya Forum is part of his mandate to enhance the Council of Europe's presence on the international stage and to foster strategic dialogue with partners beyond the European continent. It reflects the Council of Europe's determination to actively contribute to a global diplomacy rooted in human rights, democracy and the rule of law - even in the most unstable contexts.
