Dott.ssa Stefania Salustri
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Dott.ssa Paola Fienga Press Office
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PRESS RELEASE
The Maghreb and the Middle East: a key challenge for the EU and Turkey
Istanbul, March 4, 2011 –The twentieth edition of the Aspen European Dialogue international conference series, entitled “Europe beyond the EU: the geoeconomy of the wider continent”, opens today in Istanbul. The meeting will end on Saturday, March 5 and is organized by Aspen Institute Italia in collaboration with the Sabanci University Istanbul Policy Center, the joint Economic Research Forum of TÜSIAD and Koc University, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event takes place in the Hotel Four Seasons at the Bosphorus (Ciragan Cad. No. 28).The conference is to unfold behind closed doors. A list of participants is available in the press folder. Two meetings with the press are scheduled for, Friday, March 4, at 4:30pm and Saturday March 5 at 1.30 p.m.
Journalists will be informed in a timely fashion on other press meetings. Outside conference hours interviews and briefings with individual participants can be requested to the press office
The 2011 edition of the Aspen European Dialogue will focus on Europe’s new economic governance framework, taking into account the demands of growth, the strength of the euro and a more sustainable equilibrium between the member states. In this context, redefining Europe’s borders – starting with Turkey – is a process that is increasingly influenced by economic relations as well as political developments. Particular attention will be paid to Europe’s “liquid” borders; that is, the Maghreb and the Middle East: the ongoing political and social upheaval there has sparked an extraordinarily complex situation for any diplomatic engagement in terms of economic relations as well as the management of migratory flows, especially along Italian coasts. Participants will also discuss the hypothesis of a Marshall Plan for the Maghreb as well as the difficulties facing the Middle East peace process. At the center of the debate there also lies the issue of energy: from the rising price of oil to the risk of inflation; from energy security to Russia’s role in the region.
