Turkey’s President Erdogan to attend new global forum in Istanbul

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday is scheduled to attend an event marking Turkey’s involvement in the field of international media.

The conference, organised by Turkey’s public broadcaster TRT World, will take place at the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus Hotel between October 18-19 in Istanbul, Turkey.

TRT World ’s Director General Ibrahim Eren described The TRT Forum as “the Davos of politics and media,” and emphasised his aim of “contributing to Turkey’s mission to produce resolutions for global problems."

Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre and Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim are scheduled to deliver keynote addresses on Wednesday morning, with the recent bomb attacks in Mogadishu no doubt high on the agenda.

The Turkish Red Crescent was among the first responders on site, underscoring the close ties between the two countries.

The event’s theme is “Inspiring Change in an Age of Uncertainty."

Planned sessions will focus on the Gulf crisis, terrorism, Syria, Turkey’s foreign and domestic policies, emerging threats in the Middle East, the rise of the far-right, xenophobia, Islamophobia and digital influencers.

Other speakers scheduled to attend include former Spanish premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, former Minister of State in the United Kingdom and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, and Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Over 400 guests, including scholars, politicians, journalists, NGO representatives, and other members of civil society have indicated they will attend the inaugural forum.

Conference organisers say they aim to "inspire a new perspective that places humans at the centre of the story, bring unspoken issues to the forefront of the international agenda and to focus on the responsibility of the media in a fast-changing world."