Current int'l system fails to respond to ongoing problems: Turkish foreign minister

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Noting the importance of countries like Türkiye, Japan, Brazil, and India in a "multi-polar world," the Turkish foreign minister on Monday stressed that the current international system fails to respond to ongoing problems.

"The revival of Asia has changed the global balance. Pandemics, climate change, migration, terrorism, and energy and food crises are the common problems of humanity. Unfortunately, the current international system fails to respond to these," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in the capital Tokyo.

The current system paves way for competition rather than solidarity, Cavusoglu stressed, and said such competition was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in the migration issue.

"In such eras, global actors need to assume common sense, dialogue, and diplomacy," he said, adding that Türkiye follows such foreign policy actively.

In issues related to Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Caucasus, Libya, and Syria, Ankara has carried on an active policy bearing results in favor of the entire world, according to the Turkish minister.

Both soft and hard power must be used in the face of crises, Cavusoglu noted, saying the ability to "speak to both East and West is an important asset for us. As a NATO member and a candidate for the EU membership, we have been one of the few actors who could manage to have active relations with Russia (amid Moscow's war on Ukraine)."

On Türkiye-Japan relations, Cavusoglu hailed the longstanding bilateral ties, affirming his country's readiness to further strengthen Ankara's strategic partnership with Tokyo.

"We see great potential in areas like the defense industry, energy, science, and technology," he added.

Cavusoglu arrived in Tokyo late Sunday to attend the State Funeral for late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

Japan is holding a state funeral for Abe, who was assassinated in early July while delivering an election campaign speech in the western Nara city.

Security agencies have been put on high alert as over 18,000 police personnel will guard the venue set up in a park near the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, where more than 30 foreign dignitaries will pay tributes to the former leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, known for stabilizing the Japanese political arena.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, prime ministers of Australia, India, South Korea, and Cambodia, and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach are among the foreign guests.

The event, incurring around 1.66 billion yen ($11.6 million) in costs paid from taxpayers’ money, has received huge criticism from the public and politicians.