Building global stability, resilience

DEFNE SADIKLAR ARSLAN*

Welcome to Istanbul and the 2015 Atlantic Council Energy & Economic Summit.

This annual summit, our seventh, convenes at what may very well be an important inflection point in our history. The unprecedented challenges and opportunities that we are confronted with today underscore the importance of the Atlantic Council’s mission: To foster the transatlantic relationship and help shape policy choices to build a more secure future.

Our summit has become a preeminent venue for global business and government leaders to share a common platform and discuss ways to address daunting challenges and harness exciting opportunities.

This year, more than 400 delegates from over forty countries, including one president, two prime ministers, twenty ministers, and more than forty global CEOs and heads of nongovernmental organizations are attending the summit. We are particularly honored to be hosting President of the Turkish Republic H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The summit will bring together global leaders, experts and corporate representatives from nearly 40 countries in a three-day event. 

The goal of the summit is to build bridges between nations, governments, businesses, and most importantly, people. Now, with this region facing complex humanitarian, economic, and political challenges, striving to achieve this goal is more vital than ever. We chose the theme of this year’s summit, “Building Global Stability and Business Resilience,” in order to convey the gravity of these challenges and the potential for stability and prosperity even in light of them. The summit aims to harness this potential by providing a forum for debate and discussion for policymakers, government officials and private sector representatives.

This year we will have sessions on global security, and energy and economic policy including but not limited to: Eastern Mediterranean energy; European energy security; African energy outlook; managing cyber risks; Black Sea security; global  energy and economic outlook; bridge-building investment and finance strategies; global liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets; energy technology frontiers; towards European energy union; Iranian energy sector challenges; and the future of Iraq. 

The 2015 summit is the result of a shift towards international attendance and an agenda that covers issues of interest to both regional actors and the international community. 

Here in Istanbul, we are at the nexus of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The Atlantic Council has made Istanbul the permanent location of the Energy & Economic Summit in recognition of the vital role Turkey plays in the region, while also opening its first representative office in Istanbul. The summit’s location sends a strong signal to the world that we at the Atlantic Council and in the international community have confidence in a peaceful, democratic, prosperous Turkey. Through events like the Atlantic Council Energy & Economic Summit, the international community can work to ensure a bright future for Turkey and all nations.

I do hope you enjoy it and benefit from the next two days.


*Atlantic Council Turkey Representative and Atlantic Council Energy & Economic Summit Director