Turkey’s first lady stresses role of soft power in diplomacy

Opening the way to the ideal of permanent and sustainable peace can only be possible with the elements of soft power, Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdoğan said on Saturday.

Speaking at a panel as part of the Antalya Deplomacy Forum, Emine Erdoğan said it was essential to review the approaches and methods of diplomacy to keep up with the new world that is being built.

In this context, Erdoğan said that they wanted to draw attention to soft power in diplomacy.

She said that they held consultations on peace amid the devastation and suffering caused by the war in Ukraine.

“The cries of mothers who lost their children in conflicts resonate all over the world. We witness families falling apart. Unfortunately, the dark shadow of war has once again fallen upon humanity,” she said.

“Unfortunately, the reflex shown in the face of the war in Ukraine, which has plunged us all into great grief, was not shown equally for other oppressed peoples. Regardless of race or religion, the pain and fear experienced by a child or a woman in the face of war are equal. One tear cannot outstand another. So let’s take this day as a milestone and unite against all the wars that already exist,” the first lady said.

Women and children are disproportionately affected by the wars, Erdoğan said, adding that women are underrepresented in the role of negotiator and mediator.

She said: “In his speech here, Ambassador Jean-Paul Carteron, founder and honorary president of Crans Montana Forum (CMF), stated that Europe experienced ‘a real 9/11’ in a place very close to Turkey.”

“The UN is really the club of the winners of the Second World War. Many decisions cannot be made with the veto game. The UN is not an institution that will settle world issues in the 21st century. They could have done that 75 years ago,” Erdoğan quoted Carteron as saying.