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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan took part in the first online meeting held under a joint Norway-Finland initiative titled "A Call for Control of Frontier AI Models." The session, convened at the invitation of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, covered the safety and oversight of frontier AI systems, shared security and governance standards, risk sharing and cooperation with United Nations mechanisms.

Speaking at the meeting, Fidan proposed opening the International Network of AI Safety and Evaluation Institutes to all willing countries and preparing voluntary confidence-building guidelines in critical areas. He said Türkiye is ready to share capacity and experience and to contribute to follow-up steps under the call.

Leaders' format meeting addresses AI safety and oversight

According to information obtained from Foreign Ministry sources, the meeting was held in a "Leaders' Dialogue" format at the invitation of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Discussions focused on the safety and oversight of frontier AI models, the setting of common security and governance standards, the sharing of risks, and cooperation with United Nations mechanisms, all based on the principles set out in the call.

Fidan calls for shared testing capacity and mutual recognition

In his speech, Fidan stressed the importance of building shared capacity to test and evaluate frontier AI models and to exchange information about serious security incidents. He proposed that the International Network of AI Safety and Evaluation Institutes be opened to all willing countries and that voluntary confidence-building guidelines be drafted for critical areas.

Fidan said an approach acceptable to all countries should rest on mutual recognition of security assessments within a common set of rules. Global trust in artificial intelligence, Fidan added, can only be established if every country has access to scientific capacity and the necessary evaluation tools. Fidan also referred to Türkiye's AI Action Plan (2026-2030) and said Türkiye is ready to share capacity and experience and to contribute to the follow-up steps to be taken under the call.

The call and its supporters

Prepared under the leadership of Norway and Finland, "A Call for Control of Frontier AI Models" was announced on 21 September on the margins of the High-Level Week of the 81st UN General Assembly, with the participation of 20 countries and the President of the European Commission. As of 22 October, it is backed by 30 countries and the European Commission.

The call affirms the contributions AI can make to economic development, scientific progress and social welfare, and puts forward three concrete proposals: companies should develop transparent safety protocols involving mandatory pre-deployment testing and independent evaluation, and give qualified auditors sufficient access; governments and regional organizations should coordinate on common standards and strengthen transparency, including joint reporting of serious security incidents; and UN member states should consider establishing an international body, built on existing international mechanisms, that can set standards, enable verification and facilitate intergovernmental coordination once capability thresholds are crossed.

Türkiye's participation and national AI documents

Türkiye joined the call on 21 September, the day it was announced, placing the country among its first 20 participants and making it part of the initiative from the outset. The effort brings together countries from Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Gulf and Central Asia.

The Foreign Ministry described Türkiye's participation as a reflection of its principled stance on managing AI in a human-centric, safe, trustworthy and inclusive way, and of its support for advancing international cooperation in the field on a UN basis without leaving any country behind. Türkiye put its first national strategy document in the field, the National AI Strategy (2021-2025), into effect in August 2021. The Türkiye AI Action Plan (2026-2030) that followed entered into force through Presidential Circular No. 2026/9, published in the Official Gazette on 18 August.

Key takeaways

• Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the first online meeting of the Norway-Finland initiative "A Call for Control of Frontier AI Models."
• Fidan proposed opening the International Network of AI Safety and Evaluation Institutes to all willing countries and drafting voluntary confidence-building guidelines.
• The call, announced on 21 September, is backed by 30 countries and the European Commission as of 22 October.
• Türkiye joined on 21 September, among the first 20 participants, and says it is ready to share capacity and experience.