With the Balkan Peace Platform meeting held in Istanbul on Saturday, Türkiye strives to ensure stability in its immediate region, with which it has historical ties.
The Balkans are not only strategic for Türkiye but also a priority area intertwined with cultural and human ties, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.
“The stability of the Balkans is of great importance primarily for Europe, as well as for the peace and security of neighboring regions,” Fidan told a press conference following the meeting in Istanbul.
Fidan emphasized that the participants agreed to produce “regional solutions for regional problems” at the meeting, stating that they would address issues as they arose.
He noted ongoing discussions to raise awareness and expressed satisfaction with the shared common ground, adding that they decided to meet again every six months, with Istanbul continuing as the platform’s center for now.
The foreign minister also described the inaugural Balkan Peace Platform as an informal format and said there is a consensus to bring leaders together under this framework once progress is made.
Fidan recalled tensions between some Balkan countries but welcomed the fact that “no one wants a hot war or conflict like in the past,” emphasizing a consensus around resolving issues through diplomacy and dialogue.
He noted that while the region often focuses on problems, missing opportunities have negative economic and security consequences.
He highlighted a shared awareness and mental agreement on setting aside certain issues to pursue peaceful cooperation and enhanced connectivity in economic and other areas, calling this consensus the platform’s greatest achievement for the continuation of regional peace.
The meeting hosted the foreign ministers and top officials of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania. The platform aims to foster dialogue, mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries and to develop lasting solutions to regional issues.
The Balkan Peace Platform has been developed within the framework of Türkiye’s innovative diplomacy understanding and is an initiative that aims to respond to the region’s needs. Türkiye has become a remarkable actor in the Balkans as a natural result of economic growth and foreign policy versatility in the last 20 years. Ankara emphasizes peace, stability and good neighborliness in the Balkans. It offers solutions to the region’s chronic problems, as it believes that addressing expansionist nationalist tendencies and overcoming the issues created by micro-nationalism is only possible through the sovereign equality of states.
In this context, Türkiye is attentive to minorities living within the borders of the Balkan states, not to be discriminated against and to protect the identities of those peoples. Apart from its diplomatic missions, it also provides economic, technical and humanitarian aid to Balkan countries through semi-official institutions such as the Yunus Emre Institutes, the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
As part of Türkiye’s initiatives in the Balkans, Belgrade and Ankara initiated the trilateral consultation mechanism with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Furthermore, Ankara regularly participates in structures such as the Southeast European Cooperation Process, the Regional Cooperation Council, and the Steering Committee of the Peace Implementation Council in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The country also contributes to regional stability through the NATO KFOR and EUFOR Althea movements.
The KFOR started its duty in Kosovo on June 12, 1999, following a U.N. Security Council decision to ensure security and stability. The mission has over 4,500 international military personnel from 27 countries, including 21 NATO members and six non-NATO partner countries. Ankara took command of NATO’s KFOR on Oct. 9, 2023, the first time it has done so. Among 27 NATO member countries and partners, Türkiye has the second-largest contingent in the KFOR, contributing at least 780 of its approximately 4,500 soldiers. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and was recognized by many countries, including Türkiye. However, Belgrade has never recognized Kosovo and claims it remains part of Serbia. Türkiye maintains good relations with both Kosovo and Serbia.
Noting that the initiative to convene the Balkan Peace Platform came at the directive of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Fidan said regional leaders showed strong interest in the proposal.
Highlighting the Balkans as a strategic crossroads connecting Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, Fidan emphasized the region’s historical significance in political, economic and security matters.
He also emphasized that bilateral cooperation with regional countries is evolving on multiple levels, with high-level contacts continually expanding into new areas.
“We believe that stability in the Balkans will become permanent primarily through strengthened cooperation and dialogue among regional countries. This approach is based on the principle of regional ownership,” he said.
He stated that the Balkan Peace Platform represents a new step in regional ownership, aiming to establish a practical and effective structure that fosters honest dialogue and regular communication among all parties.
The foreign minister expressed their aim to create a foundation where the term Balkans is associated not with division and fragmentation, but with cooperation and solidarity, striving to contribute to the prosperity and peace of both the region and its neighbors.
“We aim to support existing mechanisms rather than replace any process. We offer a framework that supports the efforts of the international community, particularly the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue process,” Fidan said, adding that participants had come together today to find solutions to Balkan issues and develop concrete projects.
“We cannot leave our future to chance or the hands of others,” Fidan said, adding that they discussed regional issues with participants, emphasizing that establishing stability and prosperity across the Balkans is a top priority.
“We exchanged views on various topics, including political developments, energy security, strengthening connectivity, regional cooperation and capacity-building opportunities. We also evaluated the future of the Balkan Peace Platform, aiming for it to serve as a complementary format to existing initiatives in the region,” he said.
The foreign minister highlighted a shared commitment to hold regular meetings and prioritize projects that will concretely advance regional cooperation.
He also stressed that in today’s global crises and rising uncertainties, joint solutions are essential, emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen regional dialogue and noting that decisions about their region must be made collectively.
Fidan expressed hope that the Balkan Peace Platform will serve this purpose, adding that the initiative was launched with a joint effort to build a Balkans that collaborates and embraces its diversity as a strength.
EU accession
On the concrete decisions made during today’s talks, Fidan recalled that six of the seven participating countries are EU membership candidates and said, “One of our common agenda items was how we can share experiences within the EU accession process,” focusing on coordinated positions and raising regional awareness in Brussels.
Fidan said the Balkan Peace Platform offers a valuable forum for discussing shared experiences on EU visa and customs union policies, regional challenges tied to EU accession, and mutual awareness of sensitivities between the EU and the Balkans.
“Historically, geographically and culturally, these countries are a continuation of one another,” Fidan said. Stressing the importance of joint action, he added that regional nations agreed to enhance cooperation in trade, economy, politics and defense based on their mutual interdependence.
He noted that the EU is developing two projects funded by special funds – the European Security Action (SAFE) and Rearm Europe (European rearmament plan) – that grant specific rights to member states and have different provisions concerning candidate countries.
He added that a joint decision was made to collaborate on issues concerning candidate countries.
Fidan emphasized the need for defense industry cooperation beyond SAFE and Rearm Europe, highlighting the different capacities among countries, noting that this topic was also on the agenda.
Interest in the Balkans
Fidan highlighted the growing interest of Turkish tourists in Balkan countries, especially among young people, emphasizing the importance of mutual understanding through education and observation.
He noted that Turkish tourists rank first in visitor numbers across six Balkan countries, with tours to cities like Belgrade, Pristina, Skopje and Tirana becoming increasingly popular.
He added that these countries welcome this trend, while Istanbul and other parts of Türkiye also remain major attractions for tourism and business, emphasizing the need to develop further and better assess these connections.
Russia-Ukraine
Fidan underlined that one key agenda of the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul is bringing the leaders together.
He recalled that Russia and Ukraine expressed their willingness to meet in Istanbul under Türkiye’s hosting, but noted that ongoing negotiations continue over the timing and conditions of the meeting. “As negotiators, we are making efforts to find a middle ground between Ukraine and Russia’s differing positions.”
He pointed out increasing agreements on prisoner exchanges and humanitarian efforts, saying: “Both sides are showing goodwill and effort to implement this, which greatly pleases our president and us.”
Fidan highlighted U.S. President Donald Trump’s interest in the cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine, adding: “Our president wants to accelerate this process.
He is a firm believer in leaders’ diplomacy, believing that certain deadlocks between negotiating teams can be resolved through a leaders’ meeting. “We may take initiative to make this possible,” he added.
The foreign minister said that both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders are willing to meet, but there is a disagreement over the conditions for such a meeting.
He said the disagreement is not over whether the leaders should meet, but rather over the conditions, timing and agenda of the meeting, stressing that progress must first be made at the delegation level.
Fidan expressed hope that, once the groundwork is laid, a trilateral meeting hosted by Erdoğan in Istanbul could take place in the near future.