Roundtable with
Ambassador Ahmet Bülent Meriç,
Turkish Ambassador to Tokyo (F)
January 23, 2018

On January 23, 2018, Ambassador Ahmet Bülent Meriç, who recently completed his tenure in Tokyo, addressed GRF members at a roundtable meeting, under GRF’s Roundtable Series on the Future of Asia.

Ambassador Meriç started his presentation by sharing his assessments on the current state of global power competition. He noted that the relative decline of American and European power has emboldened Russia and China in their attempts to widen their influence in areas of strategic importance. Ambassador Meriç then evaluated the situation in Asia wherebye argued that the two main factors that will shape the future of the region will be the new balance of power between the US and China, and whether a real strategic partnership could be forged between Beijing and Moscow. Ambassador Meriç finally elaborated on Japan’s policies towards the region and addressed the issue of the North Korean nuclear threat. Following his presentation, Ambassador Ahmet Bülent Meriç answered the participants’ questions.