Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged governments to consider a global initiative on maritime security at the TRT World Forum in Istanbul on Saturday, warning that disruption could put trade and vital supplies at risk.
Fidan said, “Security is indivisible.” He warned that attacks on commercial vessels and disruption to Black Sea traffic threatened essential goods, particularly grain. TRT World reported that he also linked insecurity near the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb to disrupted energy flows. Fidan warned that a problem at one chokepoint could affect economies far away and leave countries vulnerable to food-security risks more exposed, TRT World reported.
Fidan presented the initiative as an idea for governments to consider, not a formal launch. Anadolu Agency reported that he described a cooperative approach involving states and other stakeholders. In that approach, safe passage and access to essential goods would be paired with broader transport and energy options, with diplomacy guiding the effort. Anadolu Agency’s account did not specify a timetable, membership or funding for the proposal.
Fidan cited Türkiye’s Middle Corridor and Development Road Project as examples of connectivity projects that could diversify routes. The official TRT World Forum session description also lists both projects and identifies dependence on a limited number of trade, energy and infrastructure routes as a vulnerability.
Fidan pointed to the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a precedent for diplomacy facilitating trade during conflict. The United Nations says Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the U.N. launched it on July 22, 2022. It ended on July 17, 2023, after carrying more than 32 million metric tons of grain and food to 45 countries in nearly 2,000 voyages.
