Turkey rallies global middle powers in Antalya amid Hormuz crisis

Turkey cemented its position of regional and global influence over the weekend by successfully bringing together top political figures from 150 countries for a key diplomatic meeting in Antalya to address global uncertainties, with middle powers coming together in a collective show of strength.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan succeeded in bringing together leaders from the Middle East, Central Asia and the rest of the continent, South America, and Europe who would usually not gather in the same venue.

The global pressures and shifting geopolitical dynamics now urge middle and regional powers, even rival or competing ones, to formulate cooperation and joint solutions towards alternative alignments.

Leaders and representatives of Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and several others as well as even a delegation from Iran engaged in a flurry of bilateral meetings and wider debates towards coordinated responses and development plans addressing political, economic and security challenges in the context of the historic reshape of the regional and global stages and their challenges.

"Today the world is experiencing not only a crisis of power but also a crisis of development trajectory and we are facing a serious and dangerous turning point," Erdoğan told the summit.

"International institutions are increasingly unable to respond to contemporary challenges, which signals a systemic crisis.”

“Diplomacy is no longer merely a realm where conflicts and interests are discussed. It is also a platform where the future of humanity is determined,” the Turkish president said as he showcased Turkey’s engagement strategy with middle and regional powers who face the current systemic shocks and now appear to work together for alternative, common solutions.

Hormuz crisis and search for alternatives

The leaders of Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan continued their efforts during the summit towards the mediation of the Iran war, as regional diplomatic efforts have now taken center stage in global diplomacy acting as the middle ground that engage Tehran and Washington under the watch of the Gulf states who used to conduct central diplomatic mediations, but have been now dragged into the war by Iran.

Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani joined Erdoğan and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a trilateral meeting on developments in the Iran war, a sign of the continuing gravity of regional diplomacy.

But another key focus of the summit was exploring immediate alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz crisis, with participating countries pushing for regional solutions together, towards new corridors and routes, logistics hubs, and energy connectivity.

Multiple countries in the forum said the Middle Corridor is emerging as a strategic transit route between Asia and Europe and a strong Eurasian alternative amid global supply chain disruptions in the Middle East.

The participating countries discussed their ability to connect energy routes and markets from a so-called strategic-geography perspective, with significant political and economic benefits and growing influence.

The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), is a transport network by rail and maritime routes connecting China and Southeast Asia, through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and onwards to Turkey and Europe.

Secretary-General of the Organisation of Turkic States Kubanychbek Kasymovich Omuraliev, said it could serve as an alternative to routes affected by ongoing conflicts, and it is becoming more efficient, safer, shorter, and cheaper.

Azerbaijan is a key transit hub for the Middle Corridor and following its historic peace with Armenia, both South Caucasus countries have a unique opportunity to strengthen the Middle Corridor solution for global markets.

Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to the president of Azerbaijan and head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the presidential administration, told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Friday that "the disruption of global logistics and supply chains has once again demonstrated the importance of the Middle Corridor.

"At the same time, we are reviewing the 'Four Seas' concept, building a broad network of connections linking the Caspian, Black, Mediterranean and Adriatic seas," Hajiyev said.

Hajiev said Baku is “applying an inclusive approach by considering Armenia as a transit country," adding that “cooperation with European partners, the United States, and Armenia continues in the direction of Nakhchivan. The South Caucasus region is increasingly becoming an important partner in global supply chains and energy security."

Middle Corridor 'increasingly vital pathway'

Also hailing what he called a “positive interdependence between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Elchin Amirbayov, a special assignments aide to the president of Azerbaijan, said “the Middle Corridor is an intercontinental transport route and perhaps the most cost-effective, secure, and shortest path connecting two continents”.

The corridor “is now becoming an increasingly vital pathway in addressing current challenges,” after being merely an alternative route until now, Amirbayov added.

A key component of the wider Middle Corridor is its middle link in the South Caucasus, called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a new energy and logistics transit route via highways and railways brokered by Washington when the historic peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan was agreed upon.

Both Azerbaijan and Armenia are actively working on developing the transit route, which will connect mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave via southern Armenia.

Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan told journalists at the Antalya Forum that the project is moving towards the implementation phase with the US partners, with feasibility studies under way.

Meanwhile, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told the forum that Georgia positions itself as a bridge between Europe and Asia, also from the perspective of its EU accession process, as well as a transit hub for energy connectivity, together with its neighbour Azerbaijan.

“We try our best and we are are striving to further strengthen our connectivity function. In the current environment, where trade routes are once again facing serious challenges, we are able to offer certain services to our partners in different parts of the world,” Kobakhidze said.

Al-Sharaa touts Syria's strategic location

And as a poignant sign to the speed of evolutions in the region amid the Iran war disruptions, Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel commander until recently, told the forum that due to its strategic location Syria wants to become an alternative route for energy and goods transportation.

The new Syrian leader said his country plans to serve as a safe corridor for major routes between the East and the West, with access to the Mediterranean sea, linking the Gulf and Turkey through Jordan as well.

Syria has already signed an agreement with Iraq by which Iraqi oil exports are transported from Syrian ports and to mirror Hajiev’s statements, Damascus wants to be involved in the Four Seas Project, an energy transit project that would link the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean via Turkey and Syria, with regional transport connections to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea via the Gulf states.

The Four Seas Project would offer alternatives to the world’s current and critical Strait of Hormuz oil and gas transit system.

Al-Sharaa also told the forum that Syria and Turkey are planning multiple regional connectivity projects, such as free trade zones, roads, airports and ports, with Turkey helping rebuild Syria’s infrastructure.

Al-Sharaa said Kyiv and Damascus plan to cooperate on Syria’s agricultural development, including on Syrian exports through its ports, given Ukraine’s agricultural know-how.

In parallel, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan following the recent Zelenskyy-Erdoğan summit, to develop joint projects in energy, trade and defence cooperation, saying that "our strategic partnership is a cornerstone of stability – from the Black Sea to the Middle East.”

Sybiha said Ukraine would like to develop a trilateral Ukraine-Syria-Turkey economic and energy supply cooperation as well as security, following Ukraine’s president's recent visit to Damascus.

'Strategic restraint' crucial

In addition to enhanced economic cooperation, the Antalya Diplomacy Forum hosted the debate about the uncertainty and the rapid transformations of the global order with growing repercussions on middle and regional powers.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that “regional powers or medium-sized powers or even small powers behave much more responsibly on the international arena,” calling for greater responsibility from global leaders, by saying “strategic restraint plays an extremely important role nowadays.”

“I would say the most important thing is global leadership and those people who are heading their own states in each part of the world must be responsible with regard to international security and peace, and then must be very much restrained,” Tokayev told the forum.

In this sense, Kazakhstan’s president called for the reform of the United Nations, saying that while it remains “indispensable and universal,” it needs to increase its efficiency and credibility on the global stage.

“Everyone is speaking about the necessity of supporting the UN, it is true, as well as everybody saying it deserves to be not only supported but reformed,” Tokayev said.

"We must be very sincere to say that it is the Security Council that serves as an impediment to reforming the UN.”

“Major negotiations happen beyond the platforms of the United Nations and other major international organisations. We never see a higher representative of the United Nations mediating those conflicts," he explained.

"It’s a huge problem. It’s about marginalising the United Nations. I’m very much concerned,” Tokayev concluded.