Excellencies,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to start by welcoming our young colleagues who have travelled a long way to take part in the “Training Program for International Junior Diplomats”.

I would also like to congratulate our Diplomatic Academy for organizing this program.

Since its inception in 1992, approximately 900 diplomats from five continents and over 100 countries have participated in this program.

Like previous years, the Diplomatic Academy has prepared a comprehensive program for you.

During the program, I hope that you will increase your knowledge about Turkey and its foreign policy in particular; regional and global politics in general.

You will have lectures from well-known Turkish academics and senior diplomats of the Ministry. They will share their knowledge and experience with you.

We also expect to learn from you. Your questions, comments and observations are valuable to us.

During your stay in our country, you will also have the chance to visit historical and cultural sites of Turkey. I suggest that you take full advantage of this unique program.

I am confident that your efforts will be paid off to further enrich your knowledge and experience and contribute to your future diplomatic career.

Dear Colleagues,

Opening speeches are supposed to be the first lecture of the program.

In that context I would like to say a few words about diplomacy, changes in the global politics and the Turkish foreign policy

You all know that the world has been changing in an incredible speed for the last two decades. It has now become a global village, in which the fate of our societies and countries are bound together.

Some people thought that, such an environment, advances in technology and transportation, the trend towards multilateralism, would lessen the demand for diplomats in the world.

Nevertheless this hasn’t been the case at all. What we are all experiencing is that the world we are operating in is rapidly becoming more challenging.

In fact, today’s diplomacy deals with a complex and interrelated set of global issues, ranging from stability and peace, international security and environmental issues, financial crises and international terrorism, and the list goes on.

There is a far more dynamic and complex networks at play between states in terms of trade and foreign policy interests; and also a rich web of overlapping connections between peoples which affect decision makers.

Working out how to navigate this much more complex landscape of a networked world; how to protect national interests; how to promote common values; and how to address threats and seek out opportunities are all becoming the tasks of diplomacy today.

Diplomacy entails engaging in a dialogue aimed at reaching solutions, promoting good governance, effecting change through cooperation, improving the human dignity, using the international framework to influence other countries’ actions, and so on.

Therefore, we need skilled diplomats on the ground in the places that matters and who are able to make a difference in the course of events.

We need alert diplomats, particularly in the area of conflict prevention.

We need visionary diplomats to tap into new opportunities for trade, commerce and development.

We need effective diplomats who can build coalitions of different actors, namely the public, civil society, private sector and academia.

It is clear that we need qualified diplomats that act in accordance with the idea that peace, stability and prosperity are truly indivisible.

Thus, it is not easy being a diplomat in the current globalized world.

Furthermore, there have been few periods of time in the history when international cooperation and dialogue has been needed more.

We are witnessing historical transformations in many corners of the world.

The Middle East and North Africa is engulfed with the winds of change for more democracy, freedom and dignity.

Africa is making impressive achievement towards attaining sustainable development.

Europe is at a crossroads in terms of the future of its integration.

Asia is emerging as the new center of gravity in world economics and politics.

Latin America is on the way to a continental shift towards more cooperation and prosperity.

Power distribution in the international system is also shifting in multiple directions, from the West to the East, from governments to non-state actors, from large-scale international bodies to regional organizations and informal networks.

Civil society organizations, business communities, academicians, think-tanks and universities have an increased role in the complex dynamics of international relations.

In tune with this fast changing international environment, Turkey has pursued a radical transformation process within the last ten years, which has fundamentally changed the political, economic and social structures of our country.

Thanks to this transformation, today Turkey has a strong economy and consolidated democracy.

As an emerging power, Turkey is one of the fastest growing economies, aiming to be among top ten biggest economies in the world by 2023, at the 100th anniversary of the Republic.

Though there is ample room for improvement, our democracy inspires many in our neighborhood and constitutes the backbone of our growing soft power.

The economic and political transformation enabled Turkey to pursue a more active and dynamic foreign policy.

As Turkish foreign policy geared toward creating a belt of security and prosperity in its neighborhood, first and foremost we intensified our relations with countries in our neighborhood by establishing High Level Cooperation Councils, signing Free Trade and Visa Exemption Agreements.

Our trade volume with our neighbors has increased 6 times over the last 10 years, reaching 86 billion USD in 2012.

We also intensified our relations with African, Asian and Latin American countries.

In 2008, Turkey hosted the 1st Turkey-Africa Summit and established a strategic partnership with Africa. Since 2009, we have opened 22 new embassies in Africa alone.

We have been increasing our profile in international organizations such as the UN by leading global initiatives such as the Alliance of Civilizations, Mediation for Peace and Global Counter-Terrorism Forum.

In 2008, after almost half a century, Turkey was elected to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for the period of 2009-2010.

We announced once again our candidacy for non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council for the period of 2015-2016.

Our peace building efforts in countries such as Afghanistan and Somalia, our mediation endeavors between parties in the Middle East, the Balkans and the Horn of Africa are some of the examples.

We are committed to upholding the fundamental rights of peoples in Syria and Palestine.

Turkey is also an emerging donor country, since humanitarian and development assistance provided by Turkey was more than 2 billion Dollars last year.

Dear Colleagues,

We see this program as the beginning of a long professional, but also personal relationship.

We believe that it is through such formal and informal people-to-people contacts that we will be able to advance cooperation and understanding between our countries.

We have a lot that we can learn from each other and many areas in which we can work together, and we can collaborate even more closely in the years to come.

I hope that your stay here will mark the beginning of a lasting relationship between us.

I also hope that the knowledge you obtain and the skills you develop here will enhance your abilities to help your governments.

It is our sincere desire that at the end of this program you can better represent your country’s interests both at bilateral and international levels.

In concluding my remarks, I welcome you once again to Turkey and wish you a successful program and a pleasant stay in our country.

Thank you.