The government and business circles had been voicing a need to create an alternative international summit to Davos, particularly after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s walkout from a panel discussion at last year’s WEF meeting following a heated discussion with Israeli President Shimon Peres, who accused the government of damaging ties with its “harsh criticisms” over Israel’s handling of the Palestinian issue.
As early as last week, in an official visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Erdoğan reiterated Turkey’s intent to offer a replacement for Davos, which many now find “too politicized.”
The Global Economy Symposium, held in Germany every year by the Kiel Institute, is expected to attract approximately 400 participants, with internationally renowned economists and analysts who will discuss major problems in the global economy that await urgent attention as well as global politics, social issues and the environment. This is the first time the symposium will be held outside Germany, which analysts say points to Turkey’s increasing geopolitical and economic prominence. Among the expected participants of the symposium are CEOs from companies such as METRO, JPMorgan and Rio Tinto Alcan as well as former CIA head John Deutsch, economist Paul Collier and former United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) head Kemal Derviş, who has also served as a minister overseeing the Turkish economy.
