DPI Online Roundtable ‘Opposition’s Perspective on the political, social and economic effects of COVID-19 in Turkey’ with Ahmet Davutoğlu, President of Future Party, 6 July 2020

On 6 July 2020, DPI held its fourth online roundtable in its series of meetings with different political party representatives from Turkey. Entitled ‘Opposition’s Perspective on the political, social and economic effects of COVID-19 in Turkey’, we welcomed Ahmet Davutoğlu, President of the newly formed Future Party. In a very insightful presentation, Mr Davutoğlu shared his party’s perspective on the current situation in Turkey and looked ahead at the prospect for a normalisation and democratisation processes in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. The meeting brought together a diverse group of participants from Turkey, including academics, civil society actors, journalists, lawyers, politicians, members of Wise Persons Committee (WPC), as well as DPI’s Council of Expert members, and our funders. This online roundtable meeting provided a platform for an open discussion on the role of the opposition amongst a diverse group of Turkish and international participants and highlighted the importance of inclusive dialogue in Turkey today. 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.