10/1/2025–|Last updated: 10/1/202510:06 PM (Mecca time)
Türkiye, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, decided to continue its boycott of the Davos World Economic Forum, due to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
Thus, both Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan will be absent from this event, which will begin on January 20, 2025, unless there is an urgent change in Ankara’s position.
Absence of economic officials
Finance ministers and central bank governors usually participate in this forum in Switzerland to attract investments and explain their policies to international banks and investors.
However, Simsek and Karahan’s absence from the event reflects Türkiye’s current policy toward Israel, which is extremely tense due to Ankara’s positions toward the Israeli war on Gaza.
Last year, Erdogan decided not to participate in the forum after statements by Davos founder Klaus Schwab in which he described the attack launched by the Palestinian resistance on Israel in October 2023 as a “terrorist act.”
Escalating tensions between Türkiye and Israel
Unlike the United States and the European Union, Turkey does not classify the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) as a terrorist organization, but rather considers it a group fighting for Palestinian rights and national liberation, and allows it to exist on its territory, which reflects a significant difference in political positions.
Turkey also stopped trade with Israel, and prevented Israeli President Isaac Herzog from using its airspace, against the backdrop of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which has so far led to the martyrdom of more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Security context
Tensions between the two countries increased after a report from an Israeli government committee warned of the threats that Turkey may pose to Israeli security, especially with Ankara strengthening its influence in Syria, which neighbors Israel.
These steps demonstrate Türkiye’s continued adoption of firm positions regarding the situation in Gaza, which reflects its regional policy, which is characterized by defending Palestinian issues, according to Bloomberg.
