G-20 leaders meet in Turkey amid Syria crisis

ANKARA

DHA photo

Turkey will host world leaders and heads of top economic organizations for the two-day G-20 Summit that will be held in the Belek resort of Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea coast on Nov. 15 and 16, which is expected to focus on the Syrian crisis along with its heavy economy and trade agenda. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will chair the summit with the participation of U.S., Chinese, Russian, Saudi, U.K. and EU leaders, among others, and will try to leave his own mark, especially on the resolution of regional issues, Syrian unrest and its by-products, the global extremist terrorism and migration issues. 

“I believe the joint communiqué of the Antalya Summit will be full and referred to in future G-20 summits. It will draw a road map for the future as it will be attributed ‘as decided at the Antalya Summit’ [in future communiqués],” President Erdoğan told the Anadolu Agency in an interview on Nov. 13. 

The summit will begin on Nov. 15 at noon by an official welcoming ceremony to be held by Erdoğan and then will continue after taking a picture of all G-20 leaders. President Erdoğan will chair all meetings on the sidelines of the summit but Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will also be present at the opening ceremony and will also host leaders at a reception he will give. 

Among joining leaders are U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinpingi Saudi King Salman, French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron. 

Focus on Syria

Leaders will come to the same table late Nov. 15 for a dinner where the Syrian issue and its by-products, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as well as the growing migration problem will be addressed at large. The summit will close with Erdoğan’s press conference where the Antalya Declaration will be released on Nov. 16 after morning and afternoon sessions. Turkey will then hand over the term presidency to China. 
Turkey promoted its own-developed 3-I (inclusiveness, investment and implementation) concept throughout its term presidency as well as the W-20 for women issues, L-20 for labor-related issues and B-20 for business-related issues. 

Erdoğan has said the Turkey’s G-20 presidency held around 70 meetings under the helm of G-20 so far, adding, “I think this is the most productive, most hectic, most hard-working meeting of the G-20.” 
Around 10,000 people will be hosted as part of the G-20 Summit amid unprecedented security measures, with more than 12,000 policemen and military units conducting hourly air and sea patrolling. 

Erdoğan to meet Obama 

President Erdoğan said he will meet with almost all visiting leaders starting from Nov. 14; however, his most important talk will take place with U.S. President Barack Obama on Nov 15. The two men held a phone conversation earlier this week to discuss developments on Syria and joint efforts to defeat ISIL. Their meeting will follow a crucial foreign ministerial meeting in Vienna on Nov. 14 where diplomatic efforts for a political solution to the Syrian war will be discussed. 

Erdoğan will likely press on Obama to reinforce the military campaign against ISIL in order to push it away from the Turkish border and thus create an area cleared from the extremist terrorists. Turkey has also underlined the need to create a no-fly zone over the same area. 

Erdoğan’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President François Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron will also focus on the Syrian crisis. The president will also meet EU President Jean-Claude Juncker to discuss recent efforts for cooperation in dealing with the refugee problem. 

An unforgettable summit 

Erdoğan also discussed the preparation period for the summit and argued this summit will be a very different one compared to previous summits. “I think our hosts will find a very different environment here in regards to places where they will be accommodated and where they will hold their meetings. I think they will live through an Antalya Summit that they cannot forget,” he said. 

The G-20 membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, 85 percent of the global gross domestic product and over 75 percent of global trade. The members of the G-20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

The Turkish presidency welcomed Spain as a permanent invitee; Malaysia as the 2015 Chair of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN); Zimbabwe, as 2015 Chair of the African Union; Senegal representing New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD); Azerbaijan as its special guest and Singapore.