Istanbul to host leaders of change summit

Top international figures, including former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former US Vice President Al Gore, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, are in Istanbul this week for a summit on regional change. At the Leaders of Change Summit at the Istanbul Convention Center today and tomorrow, academics, intellectuals and government officials will discuss the recent wave of change in the region and Turkey's role and position in this transformation."The Leaders of Change Summit plans to become an annual Istanbul World Political Forum," said Ahmet Eyup Ozguc, the head of the Turkish Future Research Foundation (TUGAV), which co-organized the summit along with Istanbul University. "Istanbul will be one of the major international political decision-making centers." Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will speak at the opening ceremony of the summit, which is supported by the Prime Ministry's Promotion Fund and its Public Diplomacy Office, while President Abdullah Gul will speak at its conclusion. During the summit, dvelopments in international social and economic policies and the background of regional transformation will be evaluated, along with prospects for the future.