Turkish foreign minister to attend UN Alliance of Civilizations' 10th Global Forum

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend the 10th Global Forum of the United Nation Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in Portugal, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Fidan will head to Portugal to attend the 10th UNAOC Global Forum from Nov 25 to 27, the ministry said in a statement on X.

The UNAOC was established in 2005, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposing it, along with then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

It was later adopted as a UN initiative by the UN secretary-general.

The UNAOC was founded in response to mutual suspicion, fear, and polarization between Muslim countries and Western societies, with the understanding that only a broad coalition could prevent the situation from deteriorating further, which had begun to threaten international stability.

The UNAOC aims to counteract this trend through mutual respect among diverse cultures.

Under the UN framework, the UNAOC Friends Group, which includes countries and international organizations, has grown to 158 members.

The UNAOC's highest level political activities are the periodic Global Forums.

The previous Global Forum took place in Fes, northeastern Morocco, on Nov. 22-23, 2022.