On September 15-16, 2025, the ETTG, alongside the Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), co-hosted a two-day workshop in Istanbul. The event, “New Directions in Development,” offered a comparative analysis of how Turkey, the European Union, and China engage with the Global South.
In an era of significant geopolitical shifts, the workshop convened leading policymakers, academics, and experts to dissect the distinct approaches of these three key actors.
We analysed the distinct development models of key actors shaping relationships with the Global South:
- The EU’s value-driven approach, navigating a world where national interests are more pronounced.
- China’s state-led, infrastructure-focused strategy, which is rapidly reshaping economic landscapes.
- Turkey’s pragmatic and flexible positioning as an influential middle power building diverse alliances.
The first day featured a high-level public panel discussion, which set the stage by outlining the strategic interests and narratives of each player.
The second day consisted of a closed-door roundtable, allowing for a candid and in-depth exploration of the economic partnerships, development effectiveness, and geopolitical implications of their respective strategies.
The key takeaway is that ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ. The future lies in building ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ and skillfully ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Stay tuned for the outputs !
ย 
