The Atlantic Council was delighted to host Ali Babacan, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey for a small-circle, off-the-record lunch discussion.

The Atlantic Council has a longstanding and close relationship with Turkey with our flagship Energy & Economic Summit held yearly in Istanbul to foster and strengthen transatlantic engagement and effective policy with and in the region around Turkey. This discussion provided an excellent opportunity to hear from Deputy Prime Minister Babacan following the March 30 local elections on the country’s political future and its economic prospects.

Ali Babacan was named Deputy Prime Minister Responsible for the Economy in May 2009.  Prior to his current post, Babacan was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in August 2007. He served as Minister of State in charge of Economy from 2002 to 2007, including tenure as Chief Negotiator in Turkey’s accession negotiations with the European Union from 2005 to 2007.