Given the global economic volatility and diverse geopolitical risks, this year’s Forum Istanbul will focus on how Turkey can maintain its economic/political stability while at the same time continuing rapid pace of its sustainable growth.

Other key issues which will be treated by prominent Turkish and international speakers include: 

• The World’s New Power Brokers and Turkey
• The importance of Foreign Direct Investments for a sustainable stability
• Can Turkey become an R&D center?
• Europe in Turkey and Turkey in Europe
• Deepening partnership between Russia and Turkey: trade, investment, energy, tourism and defence
• Turkey’s changing position in regional energy equations
• Stay young while the world is getting older
• The future of agriculture in Turkey’s stabilized growth and Turkey’s advantages in agriculture
• Globalization in agriculture and new areas
• International success stories in agriculture
• Financing and insurance in agriculture and new dimensions
• Central Asia Investment Forum and Cooperation with Turkey

April 23, Wednesday

16:00 – 19:00  Opening Session

The World’s New Power Brokers and Turkey

The four largest players in global financial markets (Arab petro-dollar investors, Asian central banks, hedge funds and private equity firms) -collectively called 'the new power brokers'- have the positive effect of adding liquidity to global capital markets over the past six years. The assets they manage are expected to double to $20.7 trillion by 2012. But the controllers of such massive amounts of money also pose significant risks and opportunities to the global financial system and in drawing new regional political maps.

This roundtable, will discuss how sovereign wealth funds, Arab petro-investors and private equity funds would impact the global system over the longer-term and transform Turkey's financial markets. It will reflect the underlying trends and pass on key policy messages to Turkish decision-makers in government and business.

Opening Speech

• *Kürşad Tüzmen,  Minister of State

Moderator

• Mehmet Öğütçü,  Vice Chairman, Forum İstanbul

Speakers

• *Sir Arthur Gavyn,  Former Lord Mayor of London
   
• Rainer Geiger,  Director, OECD-MENA Investment Programme

• Andrew K.P. Leung, Chairman and CEO, Andrew Leung International Consultants Ltd.
   
• Alastair D. Newton, Senior Political Analyst, Lehman Brothers International
   
• Osman Ulagay, Columnist, Milliyet Daily Newspaper
  
  

20:00 – 22:30 Opening Dinner

Deepening partnership between Russia and Turkey: trade, investment, energy, tourism and defence

Introduction

• Şaban Dişli, MP& Vice President, AK Parti 

Guest Speaker

• Albert Chernishev, President, International Diplomatic Academy, Former Russian Ambassador to Turkey and Deputy Foreign Minister

 

24  April 24, Thursday

09:00 – 09:30

Opening Remarks

• Yavuz Canevi, Chairman of Forum Istanbul 

• Oğuz Satıcı, Chairman of Turkish Exporters Assembly
  

• *Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Republic of Turkey
  
  

09:30 – 11:15  Plenary Session 1

Economic stability: Turkey’s anchors and beyond

Turkey’s place in global capital flows and emerging markets map

• Fragility in the world economy
• Will Turkey be able to maintain its stability?
• What are the policies to continue the growth drive?
• Perspectives of private and public sectors and international institutions

Keynote Speech

• Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of State

Moderator

• Gazi Erçel, Board Member, Forum İstanbul

Speakers

• İbrahim Halil Çanakcı, Undersecretary of Treasury
   
• Arnab Das,  Managing Director, Dresdner Kleinwort
   
• Michael Deppler, European Department Director, IMF
   
• Dr. Jacob A. Frenkel, Vice Chairman, AIG and Chairman, Group of Thirty (G-30)
   
• Yusuf Işık, Ekonomist

• Marc Uzan, Executive Director, Reinventing Bretton Woods committee
  
  

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 – 13:00 Plenary Session 2

Europe in Turkey and Turkey in Europe

Introduktion

• Vural Öger, Member of the European Parliament 

Keynote Speeches

• *Ali Babacan,  Minister of Foreign Affairs
   
• Pat Cox,  President, European Movement

Moderator

• Bahadır Kaleağası, TÜSİAD Representative to the EU - Brussels

Speakers

• Sergio Cantone, Euronews, Brussels 
   
• Gisela Gauggel-Robinson,  Head of Communication, DG Enlargement, European Commission
   
• Margaret Heckel,  Director of the Political Division, Die Welt
   
• Prof. Dr. Lerzan Özkale, Secretary General Economic Development Foundatio

• Kader Sevinç, MEP Adviser, Europeen Parliament
  

13:00 – 14:00  Lunch

14:00 – 15:30 Plenary Session 3

Central Asia Investment Forum and Cooperation with Turkey

Opening Speech

• *Kürşad Tüzmen, Minister of State

Moderator

• Michael A. O’Neill, Coca-Cola İçecek, CEO
  
  

Speakers

• Heydar Babayev, Minister of Economic Development, Azerbaijan
   
• *Akylbek Japarov,  Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Kyrgyz Republic
   
• Askar Mamin, Mayor of Astana, Kazakhstan
   
• *Hojamuhammet MUHAMMEDOW, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers for Trade, Commerce, Textiles and Customs, Turkmenistan
   
• *Mohammed Saeed Ubaydullayev,  President of the Tajikistan National Assembly

 

15:30 – 15:45  Coffee Break

15:45 – 18:15  Plenary Session 4

Can Turkey become an R&D center?

Moderator

• Reha Denemeç,  MP & Vice President responsible on R&D, AK Party

Speakers

• Müjdat Altay, General Manager, Nortel Netaş
   
• Prof. Dr. Abdullah Atalar, Vice Chancellor, Bilkent University
   
• Süreyya Ciliv, CEO, Turkcell
   
• Varol Civil, General Manager, TEB – Türk Ekonomi Bankası
   
• Paul Doany, Chairman and CEO, Türk Telekom
   
• Jan Nahum, Chairman, Hexagon
   
• Kaan Terzioğlu, Vice President for Central and Eastern Europe, Cisco
   
• Cüneyt Türktan, CEO, Avea
   
• Cengiz Ultav, Member of the Executive Board, Vestel

• Attila Vitai, CEO, Vodafone Turkey
   
• Faruk Yarman, General Manager, Havelsan
  
  

18:15 – 19:45 Forum İstanbul Youth Session

Ten Lessons from the future

Guest Speaker

• Neil Jacobsoh, CEO, Futureworld South Africa

Guest Speaker

• Cemil Çakmaklı, Chairman, Dokap holding
  
  

20:00 – 22:30 Dinner – I

 Forum Talks: Turkey ' s  changing  position in regional energy equations

Intraduction

• Mehmet Öğütücü, Vice Chairman,Forum İstanbul

 20:00 – 22:30 Dinner - II

Forum Talks: Stay young while the world is getting older

Guest Speaker

• Dr. Ohan Karatoprak,  Geriatric Medicine Physician, New Jersey

 

 April 25, Friday

09:00 – 09:45

Opening

• Ethem Sancak, Member of Board, Forum Istanbul
   
• Mark Cackler, Sector Manager, Agriculture and Rural Development Departmen.The Worlt Bank
   
• M. Mehdi Eker,  Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
  
  

09:45 – 11:15 Plenary Session 1

The future of agriculture in Turkey’s stabilized growth and Turkey’s advantages in agriculture

Moderator

• Hakan Ateş, General Manager, Denizbank

Speakers

• Prof. Dr. İ. Tayfun Ağar, General Manager, Narpak
   
• Erdal Bahçıvan, Chairman, SETBIR-Union of Dairy, Beef, Food Industrialists and Producers of Turkey
   
• Hasan Girenes, Vice President-Agribusiness, Yaşar Group
   
• Rasim Karas, Vice President Danone Tikveşli
   
• Ekrem Yüce, General Manager, Çaykur
  
  

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 – 13:00  Plenary Session

Insurance and Financing in Agriculture and new dimensions

Moderator

• Deniz Kirazcı,  Member of the Board, AtaSancak A.Ş.

Speakers

• Hüseyin Akay,  Assistant of General Director, The Central Union of Agricultural Credit Cooperatives of Turkey
   
• Bülent Bora, General Manager, TARSIM (Agricultural Insurance Pool)
   
• Gökhan Ertürk, Executive Vice President, Denizbank
   
• Orhan Karakaş, Executive Vice President, Şekerbank

• İsmail Kemaloğlu, General manager, Turkish Grain Board
  
  
  

13:00 – 14:00  Lunch

14:00 – 15:30 Session 3

Globalization in agriculture and innovation

• Agricultural energy
• Food security
• Bio fuels…
• GMO – Genetically Modified Organisms

Moderator

• Feyhan Yaşar Kalpaklıoğlu, Chairwoman, Yaşar Holding

Speakers

• Mehmet Aktaş, CEO, Yaşar Holding
   
• Prof. Dr. İsmail Çakmak, Sabancİ University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
   
• Doç. Dr. Talat Çiftçi, Chairman, Biosfer Consulting and Engineer Ltd.

• Zheng Dazheng, Chief Researcher, Bright Dairy &  Food Co. Ltd. (China)
  

• Saadet Demircan, Danonr Group, France
   
• Clive James,  Chairman & Founder, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA
   
• Ahmet Tüzün, General Manager, Tarkim Tarımsal Kimya Teknolojileri
   
• Prof. Dr. Y. Ersoy Yıldırım, Consultant, Atlantis Engineering
  
  

15:30 – 15:45  Coffee Break

 

15:45 – 16:30  Youth Session

 

Speaker

• Kike Calvo, Photographer & Journalist

16:30 – 18:30  Plenary Session 4

The importance of Foreign Direct Investments for a sustainable stability

• What can be done for more Foreign Direct Investments?
• The orientation of foreign investors in light of the developments in the world

Keynote Speech

• Alparslan Korkmaz, CEO, TISPA – Turkish Investment Support and Promotion Agency

Moderator

• Tahir Uysal, Chairman, YASED- International Investors Association

Speakers

• Tayfun Bayazit, CEO, Yapİ Kredi Bankası
   
• *Ali Faramawy, Microsoft EMEA Vice President
   
• Gürhan Kalelioğlu, Country Director, Oracle Turkey

• İzzet Karaca, Chairman,  Unilever Turkey
   
• Ahjaz Khan, General Manager, Cadbury Kent
   
• Serpil Timuray, General Manager, Danone Tikveşli
   

20:00 – 23:00 Gala Dinner

Forum Talks

Guest Speaker

• Nicholas Donofrio, Executive Vice President, IBM

*  To be confirmed
** Names are listed in alphabetical order