Türkiye's contribution to peace, mediation efforts in Philippines attract world’s attention

By Umit Turk

COTABATO, Philippines (AA) - Türkiye's contribution to peace with mediation between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has attracted the attention of the world.

The mediation came in a telephone call by the parties.

A decades-long insurgency by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led to peace negotiations in 2018 with the Philippines government, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was formed in the southern Philippines in February 2019.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region was formed by a referendum in 2019 in the Philippines' southern Mindanao, where Moro Muslims have a majority, and an interim government was established until 2025.

Stressing Türkiye's contribution to the process between the government and the autonomous region, Türkiye's Ambassador to Manila Niyazi Evren Akyol said: “This is a natural reflection of our multilateral diplomacy and our deep-rooted mediation tradition. Türkiye continues its mediation efforts not only in this region but also in many other regions as long as there are favorable conditions.

"So, now both the leaders and people in the region and the central government have fully embraced this process as far as we can see. We, of course, welcome this situation with great appreciation and support," he said.

Akyol said there is no religious-based conflict between Muslims and Christians in the region, and the problem is more based on the redress of historical injustices.

- 'Our country has been involved in efforts and work for a long time'

Stating that other countries were also involved in the process, Akyol noted that Türkiye “has been involved in these efforts and work for a long time … because we have the trust of all parties and at the request of all interested parties, that is, not only our interest, but also at their request.

"The negotiation period is now over. There is legislation, a law on which both sides have agreed and compromised. Now the autonomous region has been established. Now we are in the implementation process.”

Emphasizing that Ankara has again assumed an important and leading role in the implementation process, he said the disarmament process, notably of individuals involved in past conflicts, continues under Türkiye's leadership together with other international partners.

Noting that conflicts in the region date to the colonial period of Western countries, Akyol said: “In the process of the Western countries' arrival to this region and their administration and domination of this region in various ways, this region (Bangsamoro) has shown the greatest resistance in the Philippines.

"Because when the colonial powers came here, they found sultanates in this region, which were already a part and extension of the established Islamic civilization. For many centuries this region was the scene of conflicts," he said.

"But it is only in the 1970s that it entered a different dimension in the modern sense within the dynamics of the 20th century," he added.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul