With the participation of presidents and high-ranking personalities from 49 countries: Abu-Ghazaleh Inaugurates the 12th Bosphorus Summit in Istanbul

ISTANBUL - HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, founder and chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global (TAG.Global), inaugurated the 12th Bosphorus Summit 2021 in his capacity as Honorary President of the Summit's Board of Trustees, that convened to address the theme: ‘Challenges for a Better World’, under the patronage of the Turkish President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The two-day event, organized by the International Cooperation Platform (ICP),was attended by  officials and high-ranking personalities from 49 countries, in addition to a host of other participants. 

During his digitally delivered opening speech, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh focused on facing the five-fundamental challenges for a better future. Starting with climate, he explained that the world leaders must take the courageous decisions needed to slow down energy production and its emissions by creating smart solutions.

He went on to call on the United Nations to establish specialized UN bodies on climate issues to watch out for the impending dangers and to report independently on the performance of every country in the world. 

The second challenge, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said, is Artificial Intelligence (AI) which is the future of this Century, especially for countries that can afford it; as it can improve life, health, memory and much more.

The third challenge, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated, is the digital transformation. “We are into the knowledge revolution where everything will be digitally enabled, again here” he said, adding “there is a possible division in the world between those who can achieve full digital transformation and those who cannot, and this will apply to trade, education, industry and everything. You will not be able to compete and survive in this world without achieving comprehensive digital transformation.”

Regarding the fourth challenge, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh referred to the effect of the US-China conflict on almost everything, which ultimately leads to the fifth challenge – or the so-called “Confrontation”, which is inevitable between the two superpowers. However, he believes that it will result in forcing the two super powers to sit down together and try to come to a formulation of a New World Order.

For his part,  Summit President Mr. Cengiz Özgencil, expressed his happiness for managing to hold the Summit following restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We believe that the Summit represents an important milestone and a significant added-value to the world of business and politics especially after the difficulties the world has been experiencing because of the COVID-19,” Mr. Özgencil, said. 

In a message to the summit, Turkish President  Mr. Erdogan reiterated his constant support to the Summit. 

It is worth mentioning that this year’s Summit marked a record in terms of the participation of many international decision-makers who attended to discuss issues of common interests among the countries of the world, conducting meetings and dialogue session, in addition to signing significant joint cooperation agreements.