Erdogan’s crucial diplomatic efforts over past month: Syria, global food crisis, terrorism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his diplomatic efforts over the past month to resolve regional crises ranging from the Syrian conflict to the Russia-Ukraine war.

On July 19, Erdogan attended a trilateral Astana format meeting on Syria with the leaders of Iran and Russia in Tehran.

They discussed recent developments in Syria, the fight against terrorist groups, including YPG/PKK and Daesh/ISIS, which pose a threat to regional security, and the voluntary return of Syrians.

Three days later, on July 22, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul to reopen three of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports for the export of Ukrainian grain, which had been stuck for months due to the war, which began in February.

To oversee the grain shipments, a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul opened on July 27, comprising representatives from the three countries and the UN.

Moving on, on Aug. 5, President Erdogan headed to the Russian city of Sochi to discuss bilateral ties and regional and international issues.

Following a four-hour meeting between Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, a joint statement acknowledged that constructive bilateral relations played a role in reaching the historic deal.

President Erdogan then met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Ukraine’s Lviv city on Thursday.

On the day-long visit, President Erdogan and Zelenskyy along with Guterres also held a trilateral summit to discuss steps to end the war through diplomatic means and maintain the mechanism established for the export of Ukrainian grain to world markets.

The Turkish president also held phone conversations with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Besides, he hosted Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor and Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in the Turkish capital Ankara.