136 bilateral meetings, 36 overseas visits: Turkish foreign minister's diplomatic engagements in 2023

By Muhammet Tarhan

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who was appointed in June, traveled a total of 212,950 kilometers (132,320 miles) for his diplomatic engagements abroad ranging from bilateral meetings to peace summits and conferences in 2023, according to data compiled from sources.

Fidan held as many as 136 meetings with counterparts from 72 countries, from the US to Luxembourg, Chile to Brunei, and from Vietnam to Denmark.

Within the framework of strengthening Türkiye’s relations with the outside world in all areas and an active foreign policy approach, the country's top diplomat made 36 visits to 25 countries.

In accordance with a long-standing tradition, his first foreign trips were to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Azerbaijan, accompanied by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Fidan traveled to Azerbaijan and the US thrice, while visits to Italy, the UK, Belgium, Iran, Kazakhstan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia each occurred twice.

Other countries where the minister conducted diplomatic contacts include Montenegro, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hungary, Iraq, Ukraine, Russia, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany, France, Spain, Canada, and Norway.

Representing Türkiye at international summits and conferences, Fidan participated in events including the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference, Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit, Non-Aligned Movement Coordination Bureau ministerial meeting, Türkiye-ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partnership meeting, NATO's Trilateral Permanent Joint Mechanism meeting, NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, International Conference on Development and Migration, Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Council of Ministers meeting, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers Executive Committee meeting, Cairo Peace Summit, Organization of Turkic States Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) 8th Regional Forum.

- Accompanied Turkish President Erdogan on 17 visits

Fidan accompanied Turkish President Erdogan on 17 foreign visits, attending events such as the NATO leaders' summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, 18th G-20 leaders' summit in New Delhi, UN General Assembly in New York City, the Economic Cooperation Organization's 16th summit in Tashkent, and the World Climate Action summit in Dubai.

- Contact Group for Gaza

Since the beginning of the conflict in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, Fidan devoted a significant part of his efforts to stopping Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave and achieving lasting peace.

Emphasizing the necessity of a cease-fire and two-state solution in his bilateral meetings, Fidan drew attention to his international initiatives with counterparts in the Contact Group, formed by the OIC and Arab League.

He visited London, Paris, New York and Washington, Ottawa, and Oslo (Norway) to engage in diplomatic efforts for the cessation of bloodshed in Gaza.

- Hosts foreign ministers from 22 countries

The Turkish foreign minister met his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, seven times, and with the foreign ministers of Germany and the UK five times each.

He also had four meetings each with the counterparts from Malaysia, Iran, Spain, and Azerbaijan.

Fidan held three sessions each with the foreign ministers of Canada, Italy, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Sweden, Hungary, Greece, and the TRNC.

The top diplomat hosted foreign ministers from 22 countries, including the US, UK, China, Greece, and Qatar, in Türkiye.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul