The first session was held in Ankara in July and was widely regarded as a great success. Encouraged by its positive results, the Foreign Ministry decided to repeat the session each year, inviting several foreign ministers to this year’s session. During the brainstorming session, to be held between Jan. 4 and 8, the Japanese, German and Brazilian foreign ministers are scheduled deliver speeches. The purpose of the brainstorming session is to exchange opinions in a free discussion environment and make coordination more effective and efficient between the Foreign Ministry and its missions abroad on various issues.
The conference, titled “Turkish Foreign Policy: Orientations and Priorities,” will be chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and will be attended by Turkish ambassadors and permanent representatives serving on missions abroad and more than 150 former ambassadors currently working at the Foreign Ministry. Officials note that a basic duty of diplomacy is to raise awareness of the country and prepare it for possible developments in the international arena and say that the conference is being held in line with this purpose. The conference will assess the current status of Turkish foreign policy and draw conclusions as to its future situation.
Given the dynamic conditions in which international relations are conducted today, Ankara does not think it is possible to pursue a static and single-parameter policy. A multidimensional and multi-axial structure is often cited as the best option for Turkish foreign policy. Diplomats point out that the range of issues that fall inside Turkey’s sphere of interest is gradually increasing, with an implied increase in the work its Foreign Ministry must conduct. In this context, the Turkish Foreign Ministry pays great importance to bringing its ambassadors together to exchange their experiences and discuss recent developments throughout the world. Because they will be on official visits to Ankara between Jan. 4 and 8, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will attend the conference. The conference’s assessment session will be held in Mardin Jan. 9 and 10.
