TRT World Forum 2019 kicks off in Istanbul

By: TRT World

This year’s two-day event will focus on “Globalisation in Retreat: Risks and Opportunities” with panel sessions and talks by politicians and topic leaders from around the world.

The third annual international forum of TRT World, opened in Istanbul on Monday, featuring opinion leaders and decision-makers.

The theme of this year’s event is “Globalisation in Retreat: Risks and Opportunities.”

The forum will be held over two days with more than 10 sessions to discuss issues that occupy the world agenda such as right-wing terrorism, the rise of populism and nationalism, and the future of the Middle East.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu opened the forum delivering a speech on Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria.

The counter-terror operation in northern Syria will resume if the YPG terror group does not withdraw from the region, the country’s foreign minister said.

“We have 35 hours left. If they don’t withdraw, our operation will resume. This is also what we agreed with the Americans,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

The killing of Saudi critic journalist Jamal Khashoggi will be discussed on the second day of the forum.

A special session will be dedicated to the issue which will address Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and its connection with changing geopolitical balances in the Middle East.

Turkish President Erdogan, UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, former Brazilian President Dilma Vana Rousseff, Malaysian People’s Justice Party leader Anwar Ibrahim, Yanis Varoufakis, the main opposition leader in Greece and Romanian Minister for European Affairs George Ciamba are among the other speakers of note.

The journalists from Somaliland, Khalid Ismail Abdirahman (Fodhadhi) and Ayub Ibrahim Farah attended the conference.

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