Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Davutoğlu participated in the high-level panel of the Third İstanbul Conference on Mediation held under the theme of “the increasing role of regional organizations in mediation”. Former President of Finland, Mr. Martti Ahtisaari also attended the panel.

Foreign Minister Davutoğlu stated that Turkey aims to be a place where people feel secure and stable while traveling everywhere and added “We want to be the midpoint of the positive agendas such as social welfare, humanitarian aid, student exchange, transportation”.

Noting that the nature of mediation has been changed and it is not possible any more to find solutions to problems without understanding this change, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said that while crises were between the blocks during Cold War era, challenges and disputes are more among the states with the new states emerged after the Cold War.

Foreign Minister Davutoğlu voiced his sorrow and disappointment due to the crisis in Iraq and maintained that the moderate Sunni leaders were isolated politically in Iraq in the last four years and if this process was not realized, current crisis could be avoided through discussions at the parliament. “Now, a large-scale crisis is at our doorstep and we as the neighbours are affected” said Foreign Minister Davutoğlu.

Foreign Minister Davutoğlu touching on the situation in Syria recalled that when it has been obvious that intra-state or intra-community mediation efforts have not yield results during the crisis, regional initiatives stepped in and subsequently Turkey pioneered to establish the Friends of Syria Group.

Stating that from now on Iraq and Syria has turned into one flank Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said “We have reached this stage, because the UN Security Council could not take the right steps at the right time by pointing out the humanitarian and global values. Iraq and Syria are intertwined in a complicated way”.

Referring to the developments in Ukraine and Philippines as well, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu noted that similar courses are experienced in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq and said “At this point, effective and interactive mediation is the only mean to settle the problems”.