Central Bank chief to represent Turkey at Davos

Yılmaz will attend the event next week in Switzerland, Cihan Aktaş, spokesman for the Central Bank, told Bloomberg on Friday.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stormed out of the summit last year, saying, “I am finished with Davos” following a row with Israeli President Shimon Peres in the public forum. The two clashed over Israel’s military assault against Gaza.

Erdoğan said on Jan. 11 that he would not attend this year’s meeting, followed by Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan’s announcement on Jan. 14 that he would not attend either. A day later, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek told reporters a trip to the Gulf made him drop his plans to attend.

Erdoğan’s public support in Turkey surged after he walked out of the debate with Peres, according to poll data published in February.

The theme of the Geneva-based forum’s 40th conference, held in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, is to challenge decision-makers to “rethink, redesign and rebuild” the global economy after the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

About 1,400 executives from 1,000 companies and more than 30 heads of state or government are scheduled to attend the five-day summit, which begins Jan. 27.

Yılmaz will depart to Davos after releasing the bank’s inflation report on Jan. 26.

/World Bulletin/