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About the conference

On October 9-10, the Atlantic Council Turkey Programs hosted the Regional Conference on Clean and Secure Energy in Istanbul.

The conference connected ministers, high-level energy officials, private-sector leaders, and experts from across the region and transatlantic alliance to discuss advancing the clean energy transition and energy security prerogatives in the context of a changing geopolitical landscape.

With the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP29) taking place a month later, this conference explored new and emerging technologies and international cooperation around energy and climate. Discussions at the conference also broadened beyond energy to include regional projects including the Middle Corridor and Development Road, as well as regional security and geopolitical issues from Ukraine to the Middle East and the US elections.

High level speakers included Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar; Ukrainian Minister of Energy German Galushchenko, Kurdistan Region of Iraq Minister of Electricity and Acting Minister of Natural Resources Kamal Mohammad Salih Khalil; North Macedonian Minister of Energy, Mining and Mineral Raw Materials Sanja Božinovska; Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Berris Ekinci; Turkish Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Ahmet Berat Çonkar; US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R. Pyatt; US Export-Import Bank President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis; European Commission Deputy Director-General for Energy Matthew Baldwin; Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) President George-Sergiu Niculescu; and Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe.

In total, the conference convened fifty speakers from seventeen countries through eleven panels and four keynotes to discuss advancing the clean energy transition and energy security prerogatives in the context of a changing geopolitical landscape ahead of COP29. Over 230 high level attendees participated in person with over 6000 more engaging online. Just as significant as the public portion were the private and off-the-record conversations facilitated through the conference including a closed ministerial dialogue & dinner, two private roundtables, and fifteen bilateral G2G and G2B meetings.

Conference topics

  • Renewable energy resources today: A discussion for regional cooperation
  • Implications of US elections on climate dialogue and the energy landscape
  • Supply chains and critical minerals: Promise of the Middle Corridor
  • Development Road: Trade and energy nexus
  • Regional infrastructure and policy integration: Empowering the energy transition
  • Disruption of energy security in uncertain times
  • Financing the energy transition
  • Nuclear energy & new clean energy technologies in action: A comprehensive outlook on the future of clean energy
  • Enhancing Türkiye–Greece relations and energy cooperation
  • Geopolitical developments: The war in Ukraine & conflict in the Middle East

Speakers

Conference Agenda

Day 1

Day 2

Transcripts

Conference Photos

Featured Coverage

Frederick Kempe interview with CNBC-e

The Hon. Geoffrey R. Pyatt interview with Habertürk

The Hon. Reta Jo Lewis interview with CNBC-e

Previous conferences

On October 10-11, 2022, the Atlantic Council in Turkey hosted the 2022 Regional Clean Energy Conference together with the Global Energy Center and in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The conference gathered ministers, deputy ministers and high level representatives from nine regional countries plus the United States and European Union and a total of 41 speakers from 22 countries to discuss the clean energy transition ahead of COP27. On the sidelines of the conference we organized a closed-door ministerial gathering regional ministers, deputy ministers and US policymakers.

The conference was the second cooperation between the Atlantic Council in Turkey and EBRD following a successful joint conference in February 2020 on regional renewable energy outlook.

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The Atlantic Council in Turkey aims to promote and strengthen transatlantic engagement with the region by providing a high-level forum and pursuing programming to address the most important issues on energy, economics, security, and defense.

With thanks to the Global Energy Center for extending their support.