Symposium on Turkey-Japan Dialogue on Global Affairs

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Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM), with the support of the External Relations Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, Center for Strategic Research of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SAM) and Japanese Embassy in Ankara, organized a symposium entitled “Turkey-Japan Dialogue on Global Affairs” on 01 March 2016 in Ankara HiltonSa Hotel.

The meeting began with the opening speeches by Dr. Gürsel Dönmez, External Relations President of the Republic of Turkey; Ambassador Yutaka Yokoi, Ambassador of Japan; Ambassador Shingo Yamagami, Director General (Acting) of the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and Assoc. Prof. Mesut Özcan, Director of Diplomacy Academy of the Republic of Turkey. During the first opening speech, Dr.  Gürsel Dönmez evaluated Turkey-Japan relations in a historical context and conveyed his wishes of the cooperation between Turkey and Japan to be maintained and increased. After Dönmez, Ambassador Yutaka Yokoi took the floor and said that Turkey and Japan are the two friendly countries which have a long history of helping each other at the level of both states and peoples.  After Ambassador Yokoi, Shingo Yamagami, Director General (Acting) of Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), made a presentation entitled “Japan’s Contribution to Peace, Security and Stability in Asia” and highlighted the relations between countries in the region as well as the role of Japan in Asia. Assoc. Prof. Mesut Özcan, Director of Diplomacy Academy, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, performed the last keynote speech on “Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Regional Order” and addressed the opportunities and challenges for Turkey in a new regional order.

The first panel of the symposium which was entitled “Turkey-Japan Relations and Approaches to Central Asia” was held after the opening session, and moderated by Assoc. Prof. Şaban Kardaş, ORSAM President. During the panel, topics such as Japan's relations with Central Asia, the impact of the warplane crisis between Turkey and Russia on the Turkey's relations with Central Asia, economic and humanitarian diplomacy and Turkey-Japan economic relations were discussed by Tetsuji Tanaka, Director of Central Asia Research Institute Japan; Prof. Dr. Oktay Tanrısever, Middle East Technical University (METU); Dr. Kohei  Imai, JSPS fellow, Meiji University and Assoc. Prof. Ali Akkemik, Kadir Has University. At the end of the panel, the participants were given the chance to comment on the discussed issues and to ask their questions during the question and answer session.

The second panel of the symposium that was entitled “Turkish and Japanese Perspectives on Middle Eastern Affairs” covered issues such as Japan’s view of the Middle East, resource use of ISIS and the Iranian Nuclear Deal. The panel discussion was moderated by Assist. Prof. Bahadır Pehlivantürk, Vice Chair of TOBB ETU International Relations Department, and attended by the Koichiro Tanaka, JIME Center; Yutaka Takaoka, Middle East Institute of Japan; Haldun Yalçınkaya, TOBB University of Economics and Technology & ORSAM and Bayram Sinkaya Yıldırım Beyazıt University & ORSAM. The panel ended after a fruitful question and answer session.

Turkey-Japan Dialogue on Global Affairs Symposium ended with a closed session which brought together experts in this field.