ANTALYA /Turkey/, April 17. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran must be used effectively to find a solution, while stressing the need to closely monitor Israel’s attempts to derail the negotiations.

"We welcomed the 15-day ceasefire announced at the initiative of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in this senseless and extremely costly war, which began with provocations by the Israeli government. We believe that the window of opportunity opened by the truce must be utilized in the most effective manner to ensure a lasting peace. It is extremely important that the parties act from a conciliatory stance, with patience and wisdom, to achieve results. But I would like to stress that at this critical stage, we must be prepared and vigilant against Israel’s attempts to derail the negotiation process," he said at the opening of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Erdogan added that, amid escalating regional tensions, "regardless of the circumstances, weapons must not be allowed to replace dialogue, nor should bloody conflicts take the place of negotiations," since "the shortest path to peace is constructive dialogue and diplomacy."

The Turkish leader also noted that "the international system is undergoing a crisis of legitimacy and has become incapable of resolving conflicts." "We have been saying for 13 years now that the world consists of more than just the five [UN Security Council members]. I firmly believe that without closing this representation gap, it is impossible to resolve the systemic crisis or build a more just world. A global system that prioritizes the law of the strong will lead humanity to far deeper and more widespread conflicts and injustice. And the war [of the US and Israel against Iran], which shrouded our region in gunpowder fumes for 40 days, is the most recent example of this," he added.