DPI Online Roundtable Meeting, ‘The Impact of Covid-19 on the Global and Turkish Economy: examining the challenges and opportunities of this impact on peace and democratisation processes’, 27 May 2020

In the afternoon of 27th May, DPI hosted another online roundtable meeting where, for the first time, we examined the economic impact of Covid-19 on both a global and Turkish scale. Bringing together a diverse group of Turkey’s most prominent business people and organizations, this roundtable gave participants an opportunity to explore the economic impact of this global health crisis by looking at both the global and Turkish perspective before discussing how this might affect democratisation and normalisation processes in Turkey in the short, medium and long-term. By first examining the effect the Covid-19 pandemic might have on globalisation, where countries’ production and services have been damaged during this health crisis, the participants went on to discuss what other measures, besides economic ones, would be of benefit to the worsening Turkish economy. Here, it was noted that normalisation and democratisation processes could contribute positively to economic reform, though, there are many challenges that would have to be overcome. This Roundtable provided a valuable platform for leading business figures to discuss the economic affect on peace and democratisation processes during these challenging times. We were also delighted to be joined, virtually, by some of our donors and international experts from DPI’s Council of Experts. The RT forms part of a larger series of activities planned in the context of the project: “Supporting inclusive dialogue at a challenging time in Turkey”, supported by the EU and the Norwegian government.