Türkiye's Fidan receives honorary doctorate from Moscow institute

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan received an honorary doctorate from Moscow State Institute of International Relations on Wednesday, with Rector Anatoly Torkunov presenting the award during a ceremony at the prestigious diplomacy school. Fidan thanked the Academic Council and paid tribute to the late Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov — an MGIMO graduate — saying his legacy stood as proof of diplomacy’s unifying power, while noting the institution had trained statesmen including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over its 80-year history.

Regional ownership amid global shifts

Fidan warned that the transition to a multipolar world order remained fraught with risk, leaving narrow margins for strategic miscalculation as the old paradigm fades. Welcoming the recent US-Iran deal as a relief, he said Ankara had worked actively with partners to ease tensions, adding: "This region must never again be exposed to such tension." He argued that sustainable security could only emerge from regional ownership rather than external imposition, citing the 3+3 Regional Cooperation Platform in the South Caucasus as a model to expand across the Middle East.

Economic interdependence and Ukraine mediation

The minister highlighted economic ties exceeding $50 billion annually and deepening energy cooperation through projects like the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, while noting that nearly 7 million Russian tourists visited Türkiye last year. On European security, he said any framework excluding Moscow would remain incomplete, stating: "Lasting stability cannot be based on a framework that leaves one of the continent's main actors outside the equation." Fidan added that Türkiye had maintained unique channels to both Russia and Ukraine throughout the war, standing ready to facilitate peace efforts as the strategic partnership between Ankara and Moscow extended beyond continental boundaries.