GIVING A FRESH START

We are ambassadors who have retired after working for many years for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to which we were admitted by fulfilling the necessary qualifications. We are pleased to see that foreign policy issues in our country increasingly attract attention and are frequently discussed by the public. We are willing to contribute to the foreign policy debates in our society by the experience and knowledge we have gained during our time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign policy is one of the distinctive areas which shape the future of a country. We consider it necessary to determine and implement foreign policy in a way that reflects the common sense of the society in order to protect and strengthen our country’s national interests and its prominent position in the world, and to continue its progress in a modern and civilized manner. In this respect, we believe that it is crucial to pay attention to the opinions of the civil society and the public. Thus, we consider that we may carry on with our duty to our country as a part of the civil society from now on.

Therefore, we have gathered under the roof of the Ankara Policy Center (APM) which is a non-profit, budget transparent and independent think tank. The activities and projects to be carried out by our team and within the framework of APM, will also be independent, free from any connections with any political party or movement. We will not be influenced by any circles. We will stay away from prejudice. We will work as patriots of freedom of thought and conscience. We are committed to the values ​​of universal human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the fundamental principles of our Republic. Our guiding light is Ataturk’s saying “Peace at home, peace in the world”.

In addition to bringing out new articles regarding foreign policy and international relations, we plan to organize meetings that will ensure an open and transparent exchange of views. We will title these meetings as “Diplomatic Wisdom Meetings”. We will prioritize current issues and highlight the concept of diplomacy based on common sense and experience.

We strive to expand our work to a larger extent. We will bring issues of national security, environment, foreign trade, international economy, health care, human rights, immigration, culture and the arts to our agenda in terms of international relations. For this, we will work with relevant experts and institutions.

The APM website has been updated to reflect our involvement. All information about us and our work within APM is available through the website. We are also creating a “Foreign Policy Discussion” section on the site. In this section, we will try to answer the audience’s questions without involving in domestic political discussions.

Due to the pandemic conditions, our activities will still be conducted via virtual grounds by focusing on live events which will be open to everyone interested in foreign policy.

We will be grateful if we can make fruitful contributions to our country in the field of foreign policy!