Message from the Minister

The power of a state is measured not only by its current capabilities, but also by the depth of its strategic memory and its capacity to carry this legacy into the future. Archives are the most valuable treasures that shape a state’s institutional identity, guide today’s policies with the achievements of the past, and steer the construction of the future.

Turkish Diplomatic Archives, whose foundations were laid with the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the Ottoman Empire, today house a rich body of knowledge that sheds light on the foreign policy vision of the Republic of Turkey. These documents, made accessible to researchers through the Directorate of the State Archives under the Presidency of the Republic, bear witness to the history of a vast geography stretching from the Balkans to Africa and from the Caucasus to the Middle East. They constitute not only our country’s but also our region’s and the world’s shared heritage.

Today, foreign policy has evolved into a dynamic process where traditional diplomacy and high technology are intertwined. In this context, we continue to contribute to efforts aimed at modernizing this unique historical legacy—which we view as the memory of the state and diplomacy—through digital methods and facilitating an objective assessment of our recent history.

On this occasion, I would like to thank my colleagues who work tirelessly to preserve, promote, and pass on the Ministry’s and our country’s rich diplomatic heritage to future generations; I hope that the activities carried out in the field of Diplomatic Archives will shed light on both history and the future.