Global Baku Forum highlights urgent need for Iran crisis resolution EURONEWS report

As the devastating Iran war nears its third week and its global repercussions are increasingly felt, former European Commission President Romano Prodi told Euronews that it is high time a diplomatic solution was found to the crisis, prompting growing calls for diplomacy at the Global Baku Forum in Azerbaijan.

On the second day of the annual gathering, however, at least one opposing view emerged: continue the US-Israeli military approach.

Among those advocating for diplomacy was Nobel Peace Prize laureate and President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta, who co-led his country’s peaceful transition to independence from Indonesia in 2002.

“It was obvious that a US-Israeli intervention in Iran would have a cataclysmic side effect, and it's happening,” Ramos-Horta said at the forum. “And of course, the economic impact does not stay there in the region. It has very negative multiplying effects all over the world. Didn't they think of that?”

"Africa is especially hard-hit by the energy crisis, and women often bear the brunt," said Hafsat Abiola, President of Women in Africa. Abiola is also the Global South Lead at Project Dandelion, a women-led global campaign for climate justice.

“We don't have time for war. There's a real war being waged against all human beings on the planet, which is the climate crisis," she said. “And we need to get past our differences and work together to save the planet for human life and for all life.”

Not all forum participants backed a diplomatic approach—or at least not immediately. Texas Congressman Van Taylor, a military veteran and staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump, voiced strong skepticism.

“I served as a US Marine in Iraq. I saw Iranian spies come into the country and literally commit violent acts against the United States troops that were in Iraq,” Taylor told Euronews. “President Trump worked very hard to try to get a diplomatic solution. For many years, unfortunately, the Iranians were not interested in stopping their terrorism. They wanted to continue it, and they continue it today as we speak.”

EU stalwarts call for diplomacy and compromise

But Prodi, whose experience relied on finding compromises, stressed that diplomacy is urgently needed to end the conflict.

“We are in such a horrible moment, you know, in which you have to exchange ideas, and you have to understand whether people, and let's say leaders, are ready to compromise,” Prodi told Euronews. “Because after months of madness, compromise is the only thing to do.”

Another European Commission veteran highlighted that the war and its consequences underscore the need for the EU to strengthen its foreign, defence, and energy policies.

“Diplomacy is the only way to follow in the future, but unfortunately, things are not like this for the moment,” said Dimitris Avramopoulos, former EU migration commissioner. “Unfortunately, power is above diplomacy for the moment. And this is a very negative development. It's as if we have not learned from the mistakes committed in the past,” added Avramopoulos, who also served as Greece's defence and foreign minister.

“If this crisis continues, we are going to have more waves of migrants or refugees towards Europe, because Europe remains a safe destination,” Avramopoulos, a member of the forum’s board, told Euronews. “And I don't know whether Europe is prepared to accept a new wave of migration for the moment.“

By Jeyhun Aghazada