We Attended the Conference entitled “War in Ukraine: Regional and Humanitarian Consequences”
A conference titled “War in Ukraine: Regional and Humanitarian Consequences” was organized by the Presidency of Communications of the Republic of Turkey. Representing our University, Social Sciences Vocational School Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özalper and Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Assistant Professor Abdulkadir Şen attended.
Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun made the opening speech of the conference. In his speech, Altun made determinations and definitions regarding Turkey's policies and efforts towards regional crises, especially in Ukraine. “Our mediation effort witnessed by the whole world during the Ukraine crisis is not a coincidence. Altun started his words by saying; This is the last link of the achievements of Turkish foreign policy that have been ignored for years.” He stated that Turkey's neutral stance in the Ukraine war actually means advocacy for peace.
Altun said, "Our region and our people are tired of conflicts, and now they want peace, tranquility and prosperity. He continued with the words “Turkey will continue to do its part as a 'stabilizing power'.”
Russia Ukraine War is Destructive and Painful
Pointing out that a solution is still awaited at many points where humanitarian tragedies are experienced, from Syria to Iraq, Afghanistan to Yemen, Libya to Arakan, Altun said that the war that started between Ukraine and Russia is the most destructive of the last period for the whole world, especially for Europe. and gave an important warning by stating that it was one of the most painful events. “The smallest problem, which is pushed into insolvency and neglected, can cause great disasters. Even a spark that is not extinguished at a young age can turn into a fire that burns everyone. Turkey, as a center of stability in the face of this war and destruction spiral, has become one of the most important actors striving to solve the problems in the region. In the last 20 years, we have made efforts to resolve these conflicts and conflicts through peaceful means, using all our diplomatic and political power against all kinds of conflicts and crises in this region. For this purpose, sometimes alone to end the civil war in Iraq, sometimes with partner countries to solve the nuclear crisis in Iran, sometimes we worked with the countries of the region to stop the bloodshed in Syria even a little bit, and sometimes with the international community to establish peace in Libya.We have become an actor whose mediation and facilitation are needed in every conflict in the region."
Hamza Taşdelen, Deputy Head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, also mentioned that Disaster and Emergency Management teams have been deployed to the region since the beginning of the Ukraine war. Stating that 3 million people in need of humanitarian aid are children, Taşdelen noted that they knew from the experience they had in Syria that the crisis would reach this level since the first day of the war.
We Delivered 69 Trucks of Materials
Taşdelen stated that within the first 48 hours after the war started, the humanitarian aid pioneer teams reached Romania and they set out the shelter materials from their warehouses in 81 provinces of Turkey. Taşdelen said, "We have shipped 69 trucks of materials to Ukraine so far. 67 of our trucks have arrived, and 2 of our trucks are on the way. Our teams have helped with on-site procurement."
Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research Washington DC Research Director Buğra Kanat stated that the Communications Department held the first conference of this kind, and that this activity is the first of a series of steps to be taken to understand and make sense of regional crises and to find solutions accordingly. Underlining that the aim of Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research Washington is to bring together academics and political power and to develop new perspectives on the solution of regional problems, Kanat said that similar conferences and meetings will continue in the near future. Participants from Romania, Finland and Bulgaria also made speeches at the meeting. The speeches, in which the participants praised Turkey's constructive role during the Ukraine crisis, ended with the closing speech of the moderator Hasan Basri Yalçın.
