GRF’s 7th General Assembly and Dinner,
Guest Speaker:
11th President of the Turkish Republic
H.E. Abdullah Gül
February 11, 2015
GRF’s 7th General Assembly was held on February 11, 2015 at the Divan Istanbul Hotel. During the meeting, Mr. Hikmet Çetin, Mr. Emre Kurttepeli, Ms. Zeynep Bodur Okyay, Mr. Yaşar Yakış, and Mr. Durmuş Yılmaz were elected as members of the Board of Directors and replaced Mr. Lucien Arkas, Ms. Aslı Başgöz, Mr. Salim Dervişoğlu, Mr. Ferit Şahenk and Mr. İlter Türkmen, whose terms at the Board had ended.
After the Assembly, the 11th President of the Turkish Republic, H.E. Abdullah Gül convened with GRF members at a dinner as the guest of honor. During his speech entitled “The State of the Turkish-European Relations in the Changing Regional and Global Context”, President Gül assessed the effects of recent regional and global developments on Turkey, and commented on the state of the relationship between Turkey and the EU. Highlighting the challenges and risks that Turkey is currently facing, President Gül suggested that the only way forward for Turkey is to maintain its “European” identity and strengthen its relations with Europe. After delivering his speech, President Gül received a wide range of questions from GRF members.