The meeting point of the world leaders, the “Leaders of Change Summit” was held on March 14-15 at the Istanbul Convention Center. The main sponsors of the summit were Genpa Telekom, Doğuş Group and Finansbank.
Prominent international figures who came to Istanbul for the summit included statesmen, leaders and academicians like former 7. UN Secretary General (1997-2006) and Nobel Peace Prize holder Kofi Annan and Al Gore who, beside being the 45th Vice President of the United States of America, is also a Nobel Prize holder for his efforts to raise public awareness about climate changes; in the summti were also present Iraqi Vice-President Tariq Al-Hashimi who presented his opinions on Regional Energy Safety, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Tachi, President of Bosnia-Herzegovina Bakir Izzetbegovich and the 55th President of Mexico, Vincente Fox.
The “Leaders of Change Summit”, held with the objective of developing new strategies and new collaborations was held on March 14-15 at the Istanbul Convention Center with the participation of world leaders, government officials, global actors of the business world and bureaucrats. The "Leaders of Change Summit", a joint organization by TÜGAV (Turkish Future Researches Foundation) and Istanbul University, is going to become an annual event. The objective is to transform the event to an “Istanbul Global Political Forum” and to place Istanbul among the international political decision-making centers.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the opening ceremony of the summit to an audience including the following guests: Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, Foreign Secretary Ahmet Davutoğlu, Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister Hayati Yazıcı and Secretary of Transportation Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yıldız, Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Kadir Topbaş, Turkish Airlines’ General Manager Temel Kotil, Secretary of State and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış, Central Bank Governor Durmuş Yılmaz, Rector of Istanbul University Prof. Dr. Yunus Söylet, CEO of Genpa Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem and CEO of Doğuş Group Ferit Şahenk. In addition, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Helen Clark, George Washington University Faculty Member Prof. Hossein Nasr, the Washington President of the Middle East Institute Wendy Chamberlin, World Bank Country Director for Turkey Ulrich Zachau, London School of Economics Faculty Member Lord Nicholas Stern, the author of ‘Crescent and Star-Turkey Between Two Worlds’ Stephen Kinzer, University of Oxford Department of Economics Faculty Member Prof. Paul Collier, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs Faculty Member Prof. William Eimicke, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Sergey Mironov, Senior Physicist at CERN European Organisation for Nuclear Research Rüdiger Voss, Director of Global Economy and Development at Brookings Institution Kemal Derviş and the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church Patriarch Bartolomeos were also present.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who made the opening speech, sent a message to Middle Eastern leaders saying: "A leader is also somebody who can change, who can adapt to change. A leader who falls behind change, behind his people is no longer a leader but an opressor. All leaders must see that nobody can stand in the way of change or prevent it. Leaders who close their ears to the public’s demand for change will be beaten by the wind of change sooner or later. A leader is someone who enriches the leadership chair, not someone who drives benefit from it. Essentially a leader must read well the changes occuring in the society and show leadership in this direction".
The Ceo of Genpa Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem, who functioned as moderator in two sessions of the Leaders of Change Summit said: “This summit aimed at making Istanbul a center where global policies are shaped. On March 14-15 Istanbul was just like Switzerland. Prominent figures of economists, politicians and scientists from 22 countries analyzed global policies. Change strategies to shape the future were discussed. Various topics ranging from global economy to the Middle East problem, from inter-religious dialog to international crises have been discussed by experts in 21 separate sessions. The sessions in which experts who are leaders of their respective fields addressed the participants were reminiscent of the Davos summits. The stage design, the seating plan of the speakers and the discussion of global issues made us feel that the Leaders of Change Summit may present and alternative to Davos. All participants agreed on one view: As a “model country” held up as an example for the solution of the events occuring in the Middle East, Turkey's support is crucial. Due to historical friendships and long-standing kinships, Turkey has strong bonds and has to be present in the process of finding a solution. This is an honouring message and the best result of this historical summit". Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem, whose opinions and views are often sought by the press and tv networks, participated in live shows conveying comments on sessions and the messages sent to the world from Istanbul.
The 45th US Vice President Al Gore said that he loved Turkey, in his view a country exhibiting a unique manner of leadership. At the Leaders of Change Summit held at the Istanbul Convention Center, Al Gore participated in the session titled “21st Century Environmental and Economic Strategies” where he emphasized the importance of climate change. He underlined the fact that the only solution to global warming was "to work together", pointing out that the world had been trying to reach an agreement for many years. “I am trying to change my own country’s policies” said Gore, who added that the USA had a lot of work to do concerning this issue.
Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was one of the speakers at the “Leaders of Change Summit” held at the Istanbul Convention Center. "Turkey is a dynamic country which has gone through many changes and it connects the East and the West. Turkey has also applied for a European Union membership, advancing reforms further. I hope these reforms will continue. Turkey’s role in global issues is crucial. It's a secular state, which is of the utmost importance. It is thought that Turkey can be a model for Egypt and Tunisia. Turkey's economic role is crucial"said Annan.
Iraqi Vice-President Tariq Al-Hashimi delivered a speech at the Leaders of Change Summit held at the Istanbul Convention Center. Hashimi, who spoke before the session titled “Regonial Safety and Global Energy” presided by Erdem Holding’s CEO Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem, said that in the future Iraq too might host a summit and pointed out the fact that his country is going through an ongoing change.
"We live in a world where even the existence life itself can't be imagined without energy. We can ensure a continuous increase of energy. We can sustain the global energy flow” said Tariq Al-Hashimi, also calling attention to the fact that threats concerning regional safety and global energy were especially threatening countries which are producing energy and that such upheavals could occur as a result of the energy price fluctuations. He emphasized that in order to sustain regional safety work should be done on a state level and that especially the developments in the Middle East shouldn’t be ignored. Foreign Secretary Ahmet Davutoğlu, who spoke at the Leaders of Change
Summit said that Turkey hosted a very important meeting. Remarking that in the future technological changes would bring many more developments in parallel with the reciprocal interactions with the world’s financial, political and social areas, “If the leaders of this change are able to read and interpret correctly the nature of the change and try to shape it on a correct center line, the signals of a new world order would become evident and we would advance toward a new global order” he said.
The closing speech of the Leaders of Change Summit was delivered in Istanbul Convention Center by the Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç who said that the summit had been very informative and expressed his wish to make it a permanent event. “The Leaders of Change Summit not only drew attention to world problems and the current issues in our region, but also gave us an opportunity to assess those in combination with similar problems in the world. Our objective is to reach a higher standard of democracy and to eliminate all obstacles standingin the way of human rights and freedom. Our only aim is to provide a participatory and sharing country for people to live in” he said.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: “Democracy, human rights and freedom cannot be the privilege of only a certain part of the society” The opening speech of the Leaders of Change Summit, where the importance of developing new strategies on the main issues established by sharing the probable effects of predicted future political, financial, technological and demographic changes on the business world was emphasized, was delivered by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan started by conveying his condolences to friendly nation Japan for the earthquake and tsunami disaster. "I would like to emphasize that Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state of law whith a Muslim-majority population. Our century-old parliamentary system has placed Turkey right at the center of the debate about the co-existence of Islam and democracy. With its current regime and democratic experience, and with the advanced democratic standards it achieved, Turkey has successfully shown the world that Islamic and democratic principles can exist side-by-side. Taking into consideration the fact that at the present we are decisively carrying out EU membership negotiations with Turkey, I think efforts should be made to eliminate the question 'Can a country whose people are Muslim be a part of Europe' and to break the hesitation and, most important of all, the prejudices concerning this matter. Humans are humans no matter where they are and human rights are universal.Democracy, human rights and freedom can never ever be the privilege of only a certain part of the society or a certain race. The view that the north deserves democracy and the south is not yet ready for it is at the least as dangerous as racism. To suggest that democracy is the right of some nations and that it is yet early for others, to hide behind prejudices and claim that some nations are not ready for democracy is an injustice. I am sorry to have to say that recent demands for change in the Middle East haven’t received the necessary support from the west and the north" said Erdoğan.
Tariq Hashimi: “Democracy cannot be sacrificed for safety” "We live in a world where even the existence life itself can't be imagined without energy. We can ensure a continuous increase of energy. We can sustain the global energy flow" said Iraqi Vice-President Tariq Hashimi, adding that the reducing the risks and pressures concerning safety as much as possible was of the utmost importance. "Democracy facilitates energy exportation and democracy and free market mechanisms are good solutions on the country level" said Hashimi. The Iraqi Vice-President, who expressed his pleasure in visiting Istanbul, pointed out that the timing of the Leaders of Change Summit coincided with a period of great change and evolution in the world. “The timing of this summit is perfect. I would like to thank everybody involved in its organization" he said.
“Turkey is always a reliable country” Putting an end to the conflicts in the region is also crucial for regional stability and the security of the energy supply, according to al-Hashimi, who noted that Turkey is also among these countries also emphasizing the importance of separating energy production from politics, keeping politics away from this area. Hashimi, who went on to say that Turkey has always been a reliable country with a very balanced approach regarding energy corridors, added: "Essentially we see that the pressure from the center and the sides is increasing. Instead of choosing separation, we should seek collaboration”.
Al Gore: "I am trying to change my own country’s policies" The 45th US Vice President Al Gore said that he loved Turkey, in his view a country exhibiting a unique manner of leadership. At the Leaders of Change Summit held at the Istanbul Convention Center, Al Gore participated in the session titled “21st Century Environmental and Economic Strategies” where he emphasized the importance of climate change. He underlined the fact that the only solution to global warming was "to work together", pointing out that the world had been trying to reach an agreement for many years. “I am trying to change my own country’s policies” said Gore, who added that the USA had a lot of work to do concerning this issue. "Turkey is a great country displaying unprecedented leadership . I really love Turkey and I am saying this from my heart” said Gore who added that Turkey has made impressive progress on climate change and it inspired hopes for the world. Gore also expressed his deep sorrow about the tsunami disaster in Japan.
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised the reforms in Turkey and “Turkey is a dynamic country that has gone through a lot of changes. It connects the east and the west” he said in a speech delivered at the Leaders of Change Summit. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan: "Türkiye connects the East and the West” Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who delivered a speech at the Leaders of Change Summit held at the Istanbul Convention Center praised the reforms in Turkey. "Turkey is a dynamic country which has gone through many changes and it connects the East and the West. Turkey has also applied for a European Union membership, advancing reforms further. I hope these reforms will continue. Turkey’s role in global issues is crucial. It's a secular state, which is of the utmost importance. It is thought that Turkey can be a model for Egypt and Tunisia. Turkey's economic role is crucial” said Annan.
“Markets are globalized but legislations are still local” "Sometimes there is state within a state" said Annan. "There is acivil war in Sudan. We have to do something in Libya . We have to intervene to those who torture civilians. All of us have to intervene without any excuses. People subjected to violence have to be helped. Poverty, epidemics, climate change; all these are threatening our health and food safety. Climate change is a very grave matter. The international community hasn't been able to do take any actions regarding this matter. The agreement involving collective action has failed. Pollution has a price and people have to pay it. This matter must be managed in such a way that poor people won't get hurt" he said.
“There will be no stability where law and human rights don't prevail” Annan pointed out that recent developments in Tunisia surprised everybody, saying that generally leaders have to be a little ahead and start these changes. Emphasizing that the only way to deal with a crisis was to make reforms, "Many people were surprised by the developments in Tunisia. When a state is not built on strong foundations and where the law and human rights don't prevail, there will be no stability. A single spark can cause a lot of problems. Turkey is a dynamic country which has gone through many changes and it connects the East and the West. Turkey has also applied for a European Union membership, advancing reforms further. I hope these reforms will continue. Turkey’s role in global issues is crucial. It's a secular state, which is of the utmost importance. It is thought that Turkey can be a model for Egypt and Tunisia. Turkey's economic role is crucial" he said.
Mehmet Şimşek: “Fuel prices have a serious negative effect on Turkey’s current deficit” Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek who delivered a speech at the session titled “The Future of Global Economy 2”, said that increase in fuel prices caused by recent civil commotions in the Middle East and North Africa constituted a risk factor for world growth and inflation. Şimşek pointed out that except countries like Turkey who are dependent on outside sources of energy, the stiuation of developing countries was generally very good while developed countries which depend on outside sources of energy were subject to a high risk of being negatively affected by this process.
Kemal Derviş: “We need policies to improve the distribution of income" Director of the Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development Program, Kemal Derviş, who spoke in the session said that 200 years ago a segregation of serious proportions in world economy started to occur and that today the per capita income in developing countries was three times higher in comparison with developed countries. Derviş, who emphasized the importance of this fact, said: “We will understand what it means in the coming years. The world is indeed changing. The differences between countries are decreasing. Turkey is closing the gap. But income differences within the country are increasing. The gulfs between countries are closing but we are entering a period of increased differences within the countries. We are facing the risk of a disruption of income distribution. We need policies to improve the distribution of income”.
Ulrich Zachau: “Turkey is projected to grow by 8%” World Bank Country Director for Turkey Ulrich Zachau stated the importance of the resilience of emerging economies during the crisis and of their post-crisis growth. Zachau, who pointed out that developing countries will be the engine of global economy, said: "Developing countries are projected to grow by seven percent and a general global growth is estimated around 4 percent. Turkey is projected to grow by 8 percent. Turkey has started to play a prominent role in the G-20 and has growing influence on IMF". Zachau added that reforms initiated by Kemal Derviş in the Turkish banking sector were continuing and that today Turkey’s financial sector is strong, transparent, and resilient. “Turkey consistently realized large primary surpluses and was able to reduce inflation. Countries such as Turkey, Brazil, China and Chile have adopted a series of macro-prudential measures, in an effort to deal with the price versus financial stability challenge posed by strong capital inflows. Turkey and other emerging economies are displaying leadership and they have become the leaders of economy” he said.
Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç: “This is not simply a matter of business” Bülent Arınç, who delivered a speech at the “Leaders of Change Summit” held at the Istanbul Convention Center, said:" Turkey is going to make contributions to Libya, as well as to all countries making an effort in this matter. Our shared history and beliefs and similar aspects of our cultures will facilitate the development of our historical relationship”. “We have set an example of co-existence on this land. We witnessed the peaceful co-habitation of various ethnic groups. Unfortunately, at later times we also witnessed the separation of these groups. In the course of my work I meet with groups of different faiths and with minorities. We are protecting minority communities and their foundations. To establish an environment of co-existence is a must. I participated in an assembly of counter-terrorism in Europe. Everybody is talking about a different aspect of terrorism. We have to fight together. We need each other as individuals and as countries. Even far countries which have no intention of establishing a relationship are defining Turkey as a realiable country that keeps its promises” said Arınç. He also conveyed a message to the leaders in the Middle East: “Leaders who for years have governed their people with an iron fist are now helpless in the face of the public’s demand for change. Countries who are our friends cannot subject their people to violence”. Later Arınç joined a family picture with the organisators of the summit.
