11. Cumhurbaşkanı Abdullah Gül’ün Helsinki Nihai Senedi’nin 50. Yıl Dönümü vesilesiyle düzenlenen etkinlikte yaptıkları konuşma (15 Aralık 2025)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a privilege to be here. I would like to thank the organisers for inviting me to address such a distinguished audience. I know participants have travelled to İstanbul from all around the world. So let me welcome you to our beautiful city where Europe meets Asia.

It has been half a century since laying ground to cooperation in our broader continent. During this time, our region and the world have undergone a series of transformations. The cold war ended, new countries gained independence, terrorism became international and the technological revolution reshaped the globe.

At present, the world order is being questioned, largely due to the degradation of norms. International institutions face crisis and criticism. Europe is witnessing its first conflict of major scale since World War II. Power dynamics and struggles are changing. The United States seems disinterested in multi-lateralism and suspicious of transatlantic cooperation.

In today’s political landscape, neither the United Nations nor the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe could have been created. That spirit of global cooperation and hope are fading. But we should not forget how bad things were before multilateral diplomacy.

The OSCE has been a successful platform of dialogue and cooperation during and after the Cold War. It made contributions to the disarmament and arms control discussions as well as to a common security approach in Europe. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the OSCE integrated emerging nation-states. Many of the new states benefited from support provided by the organisation.

The institution was unique in that it offered a humanitarian pillar in addition to the political and military ones. The Helsinki spirit believed that advancement in democracy and human rights enabled good governance at home and better relations with neighbours.

However, the OSCE faced three major challenges during this time and was unable to properly address them. These were the conflicts in Karabağ, Georgia and Ukraine.

The OSCE could have been an ideal platform for solving the long-standing problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Minsk Group spent years in order to solve the dispute, but remained ineffective. In the end, it was the leaders of the two countries that came together and engaged in diplomacy following renewed fighting.

The 90s and the first decade of the 2000s was a time when there was a real and frank engagement between the West and Russia. The NATO-Russia Council had been established and was operational. But that dialogue lost traction in 2008. During the Budapest NATO Summit that I myself attended as President, Georgia and Ukraine were given unrealistic expectations of NATO membership.

Following the conflict in Georgia, the necessary lessons were not taken and Ukraine’s turn came in 2014. Diplomatic efforts within the OSCE aimed at finding a settlement. Unfortunately, both sides were more interested in reviving the conflict than implementing the agreements that were reached. It is also true that the relations between Russia and Ukraine were inflamed due to miscalculations. The conflict remained unresolved and intensified into a full-blown war four years ago.

The war in Ukraine has paralised the OSCE since 2022. Even simple or technical conversations are being politicised. As a result, the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act has lacked the celebration it deserves. Today, the future of the European security architecture is closely linked with the fate of the war in Ukraine.

In a landscape where international institutions are becoming less prominent, countries and rising powers are trying to fill the gap. The global security architecture as well as regional dynamics are being reshaped.

Türkiye has always been engaged in the OSCE and believed in its vision. We supported and enabled cooperation in Europe and within the OSCE. This approach continues today with Türkiye’s effective diplomatic engagement in the Russia-Ukraine war.

In 2014, Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, who served as my Undersecretary while I was Minister of Foreign Affairs, was appointed as the first head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. Until its closure in 2022, the special mission was headed by Turkish diplomats who made sure to respect the impartiality of the mission. It was Ambassador Apakan who shared with me his impression that, at that time the parties in the Donbass seemed to prefer engaging in a military confrontation rather than a negotiated political settlement. What is clear is that back then, the opportunity for a peaceful settlement was missed and the Ukrainian people continued to suffer.

Another example of Türkiye’s positive and enabling role has been the election of Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioğlu as Secretary General of the OSCE. I was happy to see a Turkish diplomat who worked with me be elected. This demonstrated that consensus is still possible within the organisation.

The OSCE is an idealistic and principles-based achievement of international cooperation that must be kept relevant. Despite shortcomings, its legacy must not be underestimated. It can and should serve as example in other regions.

For instance, peace in the Middle-East requires an understanding of common security and cooperation between different actors. The Middle East needs its own Helsinki Final Act. A platform like the OSCE would enable dialogue and regional ownership, while assisting institution-building.

This was an idea I have voiced at many occasions during my private meetings with other leaders in the region, as well as during public statements. I still believe the OSCE to be a great example of the kind of international institution that is needed in the Middle-East.

Despite the recent tragic events in Palestine, this is not a time to surrender or relinquish. Let us not forget that all major international organisations like the United Nations and the OSCE were created during times of deep crisis. They were the response to difficulty, not the products of easy times.

Distinguished audience, Dear Scholars,

We are going through a period in which all over the world optimism has been replaced by pessimism and fear regarding the future. Humanity was supposed to advance towards a better, happier future with improvement in democratic norms, human rights and prosperity. Instead of these values being generalised, the trend has reversed.

Even global leaders do not mention democracy or human rights in their speeches anymore. These references have vanished from the global rhetoric. It is saddening and disheartening to see international relations shifting to opportunism and narrow self-interest.

The current dangerous mindset is one that not only disregards international norms and institutions – it views them as a hindrance to get rid of. The rules are being weakened and the global order destabilised.

Such change only benefits few big and powerful actors. The rest and majority of the world, smaller and middle-sized nations have much to lose from the weakening of the rules based order.

The atrocities committed in Gaza were the last example of how international norms and basic human rights are being disregarded. Such impunity is unfortunately due to Israel’s extraordinary relations with some western countries and especially the US. Blindly using the UN Security Council veto power in favor of Israel’s illegal actions is a tragic example of the decadence in international values.

Democratic backsliding in many countries, including OSCE members, require yet another wake-up call. Without strong and democratic institutions as well as the rule of law at home, countries risk falling into populist rhetoric and authoritarianism, undermining hopes for international dialogue and cooperation.

Difficult times created international institutions such as the OSCE. Hopeless times should be a reason to revive them.

You know much better than anyone else the kind of suffering that the current global political trend can bring. This must serve as a wake-up call in recreating a culture of dialogue, compromise and consensus. Academic works and meetings like this one are much needed, and I highly appreciate your investment in them. My call is for such precious work to continue with the aim of influencing policy, despite all difficulties.

Today’s gathering is a stark reminder of the importance of multilateral diplomacy, and a statement of hope for the future of the OSCE and other regional cooperation mechanisms.

I wish you all a fruitful conversation during tomorrow’s sessions.

Thank you for being here and believing in dialogue.