TURKEY tr-diplomacy

Erdoğan says he will not be attending Davos summit

ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires | 1/11/2010 12:00:00 AM |

Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek said he will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this year after the country’s prime minister announced he would not be attending.

Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek said he will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this year after the country’s prime minister announced he would not be attending, Turkish media reported Monday.

“I’ll say it just once: I am not going to go there again,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, according to daily Milliyet.

Daily Hürriyet reported that Şimşek would attend the meeting instead of Erdoğan. Şimşek emphasized the importance of Turkey’s presence at Davos in terms of relations with international investors.

Erdoğan’s announcement comes nearly a year after he stormed out of a debate on the Gaza conflict at the 2009 Davos summit. He accused Israel of “barbarian” acts and told Israeli President Shimon Peres, “You know well how to kill people.”

His reaction caused tension between the two countries that has had long-lasting implications in their diplomatic affairs. Before the outburst, Turkey had been a key Israel ally in the region since the two signed a military cooperation deal in 1996.

This year’s summit in Davos will mark the 40th World Economic Forum.