WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM HELD IN ISTANBUL

World Economic Forum's only meeting outside Davos was held in Istanbul on 16-17 November 2006. The main subject of the meeting was Turkey. Four main topics were discussed at the meeting: The geopolitical role of Turkey; EU membership negotiations; the competitive power of Turkey; and intercultural dialogue.

Egemen Bagis attended as panelist to the session on updates in Turkey, region and European Union. He expressed his views on Turkish EU relations, Turkey's transformation in the EU adaptation process, and the geographic role of Turkey. He concluded his speech stating that the EU adaptation process is a path with many ups and downs, and he is hopeful that the adaptation process will continue.