Turkey s Relations with a Changing Arab World

Transcription

1 Expert Conference Turkey s Relations with a Changing Arab World May 3 rd, 2011 Mövenpick Hotel Beirut, Lebanon 1

2 Background In recent years, Turkey has strengthened its ties to its Arab neighbors, and political, economic and cultural interaction has been growing. In recent months, as Arab populations called for reforms resembling those already in place in Turkey, Ankara has taken contrasting positions with regard to uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and elsewhere. The Carnegie Middle East Center, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) have organized a one-day conference to explore the dynamics of developing relations between Turkey and the Arab countries, as well as their regional implications. It will bring together Arab, Turkish, and international experts and policymakers in order to exchange views and policy perspectives. The results of a survey of Arab and Iranian opinion regarding Turkey, conducted in the fall of 2010, will be presented by TESEV. This will provide a clearer picture of how the Arab (and Iranian) public perceive the increased engagement of Turkey in the region. The panels in the conference will attempt to shed light on issue-areas that are central to current Turkish-Arab relations and will provide an opportunity for both speakers and audience to critically review mutual perceptions and potential misperceptions. Topics to be addressed are: the image of Turkey in the region; the role of cultural ties, economic integration, and regional energy policies; and Turkey s policies with regard to the recent Arab uprisings. The conference will conclude with a discussion of the consequences of growing Turkish influence in the Middle East. The conference aims at providing a platform for debate to be followed-up with publications and further events. The initiative as a whole is designed to increase common reflection on policies that are relevant to the populations of both Turkey and the Arab world, to inform both decisionmakers and a broader audience on regional policies, and also potentially to provide recommendations on how to best approach the changing dynamics of the Middle East. 2

3 Expert Conference Turkey s Relations with a Changing Arab World May 3 rd, Mövenpick Hotel- Beirut, Lebanon Location: Mistral II - Level 7 9:00-9:15 Welcome (TESEV). Program Paul Salem, Director, Carnegie Middle East Center Layla Al-Zubaidi, Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Middle East Office Can Paker, the Chairperson of Turkish and Economic Studies Foundation 9:15-10:00 Opening Addresses Mohamad Chatah, External Relations Advisor to Caretaker Prime Minister H.E. Saad Hariri Basem Haydar, Delegated Minister to the General Secretariat of the League Of Arab States in Lebanon H.E. Inan Ozyildiz, Ambassador of Turkey to Lebanon 3

4 :15 Session I: The Perception of Turkey in the Middle East: Presentation and discussion of a 2010 TESEV survey - Panel Discussion Mensur Akgün (TESEV Foreign Policy Program) Sabiha Senyücel Gündoğar (TESEV Foreign Policy Program) Mohamed Noureddine (Center for Strategic Studies in Beirut), discussant Q&A 11:15-11:30 Coffee Break Location: Mistral I - Level 7 11:30-13:30 Session II: Turkey s polices towards the recent Arab Revolts Moderator: Paul Salem, Director, Carnegie Middle East Center Cengiz Çandar, Radikal Newspaper, Istanbul Rami G.Khouri, Issam Fares Institute, Beirut Bahgat Korany, American University of Cairo Jihad Al-Zein, An-Nahar Newspaper, Beirut Q&A 13:30-14:30 Lunch Break: Mediterranée Restaurant at Level 8 4

5 14:30-16:45 Round Table: Turkey s new soft power in Middle East- Regional and International implications Moderator: Layla Al-Zubaidi, Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Middle East Office Nabil Sukkar, Syrian Consulting Bureau, Damascus Gencer Özcan, Department of International Relations, Bilgi University, Istanbul Mustafa Ellabbad, Al-Sharq Center for Regional and Strategic Studies Frank Tétart, Moyen Orient Journal, Paris Fadi Hakura, Chatham House, London 17:15 17:30 Closing Remarks Paul Salem, Director, Carnegie Middle East Center Layla Al-Zubaidi, Director, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Middle East Office Can Paker, Chairperson, TESEV 19:00 Reception hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey * TESEV would like to thank the Open Society Foundation Turkey for its continuing generous support. 5