Introduction
Conference diplomacy is one of the important components of international relations in today’s world. Although this type of diplomacy dates back to ancient times, in the modern era, it is mostly associated with the Congress of Vienna. The contribution of the Congress of Vienna, the first conference of ambassadors, to international relations is indisputable. This congress, established after the Napoleonic Wars, was also an important ground for discussion on the mediation of conflicting parties.¹ In this context, the Vienna Congress was not the last example of conference diplomacy, followed by the Paris (1856), Berlin (1878), and Paris (1919) congresses. Since the mid-20th century, conference diplomacy has evolved into a sustainable platform. Especially as transnational structures such as the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) became the dominant actors of the international community, conference diplomacy became a regular phenomenon.
The emergence of full-fledged, effective, and multilateral conference diplomacy in its current sense corresponds to the San Francisco Conference that established the UN. In the second half of the 20th century, the increase in the number of both sovereign states and non-state actors, namely international organizations, increased the effectiveness and relevance of conference diplomacy. Another important factor was interdependence, which was the driving force behind the need for these sovereign actors to work together.² In this period, the functioning of conference diplomacy began to be carried out within the framework of certain rules. Today, conference diplomacy is seen as a means for countries to seek solutions to current foreign policy issues as well as an attempt to establish various cooperation mechanisms in times of peace.
