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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to commercial shipping and that Gulf countries’ access to the open seas must not be restricted, as he called for the ceasefire between the U.S.-Israel and Iran to be used as an opportunity to secure lasting peace.
Speaking at the opening session of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026, Erdogan said Türkiye’s position on the Strait of Hormuz is clear.
“One side of the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran, and the other to Oman. The Gulf countries’ right of access to the open seas must not be restricted,” Erdogan said.
“What matters is ensuring freedom of navigation based on established rules and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping,” he added.
He also said the war has accelerated the search for alternative routes to deliver energy resources from neighboring regions to international markets.
“As Türkiye, I want it to be known that we are open to cooperation with our neighbors in the fields of energy and connectivity through visionary projects such as the Development Road,” he said.
Erdogan said Türkiye welcomes the 15-day ceasefire declared through the initiatives of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the war that he said began with the provocations of the Israeli government.
He said the conflict had filled the region with the smell of gunpowder for 40 days and showed once again where a global system based only on the law of the strong could lead humanity.
“We believe that the window of opportunity opened by the ceasefire should be used in the most effective way for the establishment of lasting peace,” Erdogan said.
He said disagreements, no matter how deep, must not be allowed to return to weapons and bloody confrontation instead of words and negotiation.
“Let it not be forgotten that the shortest road to peace is constructive dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.
Erdogan also warned that the parties must act with a conciliatory, patient and prudent approach if results are to be achieved.
“At this critical stage, it is also necessary to remain ready and vigilant against Israel’s attempts to sabotage the negotiation process,” he said.
Erdogan said the current system crisis cannot be solved and a fairer world cannot be built unless the representation gap that Türkiye has highlighted for 13 years with the slogan “The world is bigger than five” is closed.
He said wars, injustices and deadlock would deepen under a global system that protects only the law of the powerful.
According to Erdogan, the recent war was the latest example of that danger.
His remarks placed the Hormuz crisis, the war involving Iran and the ceasefire effort within the wider framework of diplomacy and global order.
Erdogan also pointed to Gaza as another example of the collapse of international norms and institutions.
He said mechanisms tasked with protecting human rights and global security remain ineffective and often indifferent in the face of the gravest attacks.
According to Erdogan, what is happening in Gaza cannot be seen merely as a humanitarian tragedy.
He said the genocide in Gaza has clearly shown what the current order permits.
His remarks linked the war, the ceasefire and the crisis around Hormuz to what he described as a broader failure of the international system to protect justice, peace and human life.
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