20 October 2017•Update: 20 October 2017
By Sena Guler
ANKARA
The recently-concluded TRT World Forum brought together leading experts from around the world for two days in Istanbul, where debates of global importance, such as the rise of xenophobia and Islamophobia were analyzed in depth.
The forum was held this week between Wednesday and Thursday under the theme “Inspiring Change in an Age of Uncertainty” .
Anadolu Agency was the global communication partner at the event.
This was the first international forum of TRT World -- Turkey’s first English-language television news channel -- in Istanbul, which consisted of seven sessions and hosted 400 guests, including scholars, politicians, journalists, nongovernmental organization representatives and other members of civil society.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan led the long list of prominent names who participated in the panels that also included former Spanish premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and former U.K. State Minister Baroness Warsi.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had inaugurated the forum on Wednesday. In his opening speech, he said: “Turkey's mission is to serve the truth, and be the voice, mind and conscience of the oppressed. We see that TRT World is doing this in the best way globally.”
Also on the forum’s first day, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin participated in the second session titled “Emerging Trends and New Threats in MENA Region”.
Kalin raised the issue of illegitimate referendum held by Erbil-based Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, clarifying the point that Turkey’s aim is to protect Iraq’s unity, integrity, and political solidarity, and there is no intention to harm Iraqi Kurds.
The presidential aide also gave Turkey’s perspective on several other issues, including Syrian refugees, the ongoing Idlib operation that aims to establish a number of de-escalation zones; the recent visa row between Ankara and the Washington came after the U.S. Embassy in Ankara announced the suspension of non-immigrant visa services for Turkish nationals.
“Redefining the Global Agenda: Old Guard vs New Players” and “Re-thinking Media: Responsible Reporting on Humanitarian Crises” were other topics discussed on the first day.
The forum’s second day started with a joint keynote speech by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and former Spanish premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
Cavusoglu spoke about Turkey’s accession to European Union, efforts for which have been ongoing since 1987.
- Erdogan addresses forum
“The EU membership is still a strategic goal for us.
“But we don’t see this [goal] from the other side [EU]. This is the problem,” the foreign minister.
Zapatero said the situation in Syria and Iraq was important for peace and stability of the world, not just Turkey.
He also highlighted the importance of a strong relationship between Turkey and Europe.
“The future of Turkey is the future of the relationship between the Western world and the Eastern world.”
The forum’s second day also discussed “Capitalizing on Fear: The Politicization of Xenophobia and Islamophobia”.
In that session, former U.K. State Minister Baroness Warsi shared how despite being a sitting minister someone at the counterterrorism meeting asked her how they could fight against terrorism when the enemy “is at the table”.
Despite living in the U.K. for 60 years, they were implying that I did not belong there and they do not trust me. For them, I was the enemy within, Warsi said.
The last day of the forum also discussed “Transforming Humanitarian Aid”, “Digital Influencers and Their Role in Shaping Public Discourse”, and “Big Business, Big Solutions: Encouraging Corporate Social Responsibility”.
Erdogan’s speech came at the closing session of the forum who voiced his concern over Turkey’s partnership with the U.S. amid the ongoing visa row between the two countries.
Referring to the outgoing U.S. Ambassador John Bass, he said: “If the ambassador can just say 'we suspended the visas' in a paragraph on behalf of the great U.S., then I will have to reconsider the strategic partnership.”
The president also spoke about the U.S. support for the PKK/PYD terrorists in Syria and highlighted the plight of Rohingya Muslims.
