Last week, from 17. to 19. April, two of our ENTER CHANGE programme alumni attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 – one of the leading global platforms bringing together policymakers, diplomats, and thought leaders to navigate today’s complex world. Mubina Šašić and Boris Luketa were invited as ambassadors of the CEP facilitated programme, based on Slovenia’s good relationship with Turkey.

They contributed valuable insights, shared best practices, and brought their experience in our programme to a global stage.

The highlight of the Forum was a brief but meaningful personal conversation with Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia.

Held under the theme “Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties,” the forum tackled some of the most pressing global challenges — from geopolitical tensions and shifting power balances to the future of multilateralism and global trade. 

Across a diverse programme of panels and discussions, our alumni engaged with conversations on:
🔹 The future of diplomacy in an increasingly fragmented world
🔹 Peace and security, including debates on the Middle East and pathways to conflict resolution
🔹 Energy, trade, and economic resilience in times of uncertainty
🔹 The role of emerging domains like space diplomacy in international cooperation

They also had the opportunity to listen to and learn from high-level speakers and global leaders, including figures such as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye; Josep Borrell, former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs; Elmedin Konaković, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Christian Schmidt, High Representative for Bosnia and Hercegovina; alongside ministers, diplomats, and experts from around the world.

Moments like this show the power of youth engagement in global dialogue and we’re excited to see our alumni contributing to shaping the future of international cooperation.

“I was truly honored to represent my country at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, with the invaluable support of genuine friends of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Slovenia and Turkey. Their continued partnership and commitment reflect the strength of regional cooperation and shared values. As a young leader, it carried special significance to represent my country at such a pivotal historical moment, the one where global officials are not only gathering to exchange perspectives but are actively seeking solutions to pressing geopolitical challenges. The forum demonstrated that diplomacy today must move beyond dialogue into concrete, coordinated action.

I was particularly inspired by the remarks of Nataša Pirc Musar and Hakan Fidan, whose speeches reflected both clarity of vision and a strong sense of responsibility in navigating today’s complex global landscape. What left the strongest impression on me is that today’s leaders are not standing still, but they are ready to act. There is a growing recognition that the challenges we face require courage, collaboration, and decisive leadership. Being part of such an environment reaffirmed my belief in the power of diplomacy to drive meaningful change.” – Mubina Šašić, ENTER: CHANGE Alumni

»First of all, I would like to thank you once again for the opportunity to participate in the forum. What left one of the strongest impressions on me was, above all, the scale of the forum, with over 6,000 participants and surely another 2,000 people involved in organizing it. Everything went smoothly, without any problems, crowds, or shortages at any moment. It was very interesting to encounter a new political and diplomatic culture that I was able to observe in Turkey, starting from the host country to the countries of Asia and Africa that were present. The approach was much more formal, with higher security measures and similar aspects.

One of my impressions was also how small Europe is compared to the rest of the world, and how other regions and continents are developed and deal with the same issues as we do in Europe, something we often fail to notice due to our Eurocentric way of life. I would highlight one sentence I heard at the forum, from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, who said: “We (the Balkans) share the same history, but we do not share the same memory of that history.”

It was a pleasure to meet the Ambassador of Slovenia to Turkey and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, and to listen to her panel where she was the sole participant, which speaks to the importance and strength of Slovenian diplomacy on the global stage. In addition, listening to the Presidents of Turkey, Syria, Kazakhstan, and, ultimately, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia was a new and very significant experience for me. All in all, it was a wonderful and incredible experience.« – Boris Luketa, ENTER: CHANGE Alumni