Dr. Ömer İleri, Member of Parliament for Ankara,

Prof. Ferhat Pirinççi, Deputy Head of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye,

Prof. Kazuto Suzuki, Graduate School of Public Policy at University of Tokyo,

Mr. Kunihiko Miyake, Director and Special Advisor of the Canon Institute for Global Studies,

Dr. Akira Igata, Project Lecturer at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a privilege to welcome you all at this panel discussion.

First of all, I would like to convey my sincere appreciation to the Canon Institute for Global Studies and the Institute of Geoeconomics for their valuable support.

Both of these Institutes are most respectable in their fields, and we are looking forward to continue our cooperation in the future.

Dear Guests,

The global order is under enormous strain. We are witnessing an era of uncertainty, an era overwhelmed by multiple crises.

Global balance of power is shifting across a growing number of theatres that carry both regional and global weight, and no single actor can manage global challenges alone.

As the old architecture fractures, the system is attempting to draw on the capabilities of countries that can genuinely deliver. The system seeks countries with strategic agency and credibility that are able to produce sustainable solutions for the benefit of the whole international community.

We can resolve the deepening structural problems of the international order only through effective cooperation among countries that upholds justice, diplomacy, and multilateralism.

We believe that regional ownership and the global institutional reform are two pillars to work on to that end. I leave it to our distinguished panelists to elaborate on these pillars.

Dear guests,

The overwhelming bulk of the world’s economic strength, demographic weight, technological dynamism and maritime connectivity is now concentrated here in Asia.

Türkiyeis bound to this continent by enduring historical links, strategic ties and a sense of shared purpose. We bring the outreach of a country whose strategic horizons extend across Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and beyond.

The stability we help build in these regions flows directly into the security and prosperity of Asia because we fully recognize that security is indivisible. Effective multilateralism and comprehensive international cooperation serve us better than fragmentation.

That is the spirit in which Türkiye engages with this continent, and this is what we wish to deepen further with our Japanese partners.

Türkiye has made a choice: to be among the nations that give this turbulent age its direction through the steady hand of diplomacy.

And in Japan, we are grateful to have a partner who shares that resolve.

It is precisely this conviction that draws Türkiye and Japan ever closer.

As strategic partners committed to global peace, stability and prosperity, our two countries, with their comparative advantages, can play a constructive and proactive role in addressing global challenges and in seeking sustainable solutions to conflicts in various regions.

In this regard, today’s STRATCOM event plays a crucial role in convening distinguished minds from two counties located at Asia’s westernmost and easternmost flanks.

And I believe this event will serve to raise awareness why Türkiye and Japan can and should cooperate more and coordinate more in these turbulent times.

Thank you for your kind attention and participation.