Turkish PM to Attend World Economic Forum First Time Since 2009: Reports

Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu, who assumed office in August, is set to join the World Economic Forum conference in Davos on January 22-24.

MOSCOW, January 5 (Sputnik) — Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu plans to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland, becoming the first leader from Turkey to participate in the major economic event since 2009, the Anadolu news agency reported Monday.

Davutoglu, who assumed office in August, is set to join the conference in Davos on January 22-24, the Anadolu agency said, citing its sources.

On January 24, the Prime Minister of Turkey will speak at a special session in the forum program.

Davutoglu's participation in the WEF is especially important this year as he will attend the summit during Turkey's G20 presidency. In November, Turkey is set to host the annual G20 summit.

For six years Turkish prime ministers have abstained from participating in the WEF following to a conflict that arose between the current president, then prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Shimon Peres over the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

On January 29, 2009, Erdogan claimed his speech was interrupted and time-limited by the moderator of the debate. He left the summit and refused to take part in the consequent WEF annual meetings.

The WEF, founded in 1971, is an international organization that gathers prominent politician, academics and businessmen to discuss economic issues and promote cooperation between state and the private sectors.

Since the incident, Turkey was represented at the Davos forum by its Deputy Prime Minister, Ali Babacan.