Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is scheduled to visit the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting set to run from Jan. 21 to Jan. 24 in the winter resort town of Davos, Switzerland. The 50th annual meeting this year has the main theme of "Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World," and Çavuşoğlu will hold talks with top officials to discuss several topics, including foreign policy and governance.

Davos is a platform where existing global economic networks are evaluated to facilitate a better life for future generations and people's well-being. According to the manifesto by Klaus Schwab, a WEF executive, a company "consciously protects our biosphere and champions a circular, shared and regenerative economy. It continuously expands the frontiers of knowledge, innovation and technology to improve people's well-being."

These are obvious, major targets in the global economy and politics that need to be tackled through public and private entrepreneurship, and they are strongly related to the understanding of governance and foreign policy perspectives of countries where serious disruptions threaten the political systems.

Concerning his view of modern global politics and policy, in an interview with Daily Sabah, Çavuşoğlu said: "We are going through an era of profound changes and uncertainty. A new geopolitical landscape is emerging. The center of gravity in world politics is shifting. In addition to those that already exist, there are evolving threats like terrorism, radicalism, climate change, disruptive technologies, poverty, humanitarian crises, xenophobia, Islamophobia and cultural polarization. Trade wars and cyber and hybrid warfare are the new realities."

This new era and its many challenges put tremendous strain on the existing system of global governance. "However," Çavuşoğlu said, "the transformation in the global order has, so far, unfortunately not been accompanied by a process of restructuring the system of global governance."

"The global community should, therefore, try an approach to governance that reflects multiple stakeholders. This approach leverages diverse resources, including skills and expertise, which in turn enables parties to better mitigate risks and build resilience against fragilities," he said.

This notion of stakeholder capitalism coupled with Çavuşoğlu's approach with multiple stakeholders could be a remedy to this age in which countries are becoming increasingly protectionist and global cooperation has been impotent in solving global problems. This is one of the biggest questions and obstacles that will be touched on in Çavuşoğlu's meetings, in addition to how countries are being shaped into multilayered, cooperative systems, how to deal with energy and trade tensions, and other emerging problems that must be emphasized in the coming years.

Çavuşoğlu, Turkey's foreign minister since 2014, described Ankara's position: "We always advocated multilateralism and international cooperation. Trade constraints and increasing trade tensions cause uncertainties in international trade and the global economy. Major problems can only be overcome by strengthening multilateral cooperation and the continuity of the rules-based system. It is with this understanding that we have always advocated free, fair, transparent and rules-based multilateralism in our foreign policy, and we will continue to defend that."

Attendees from around the world will be discussing the dramatic changes of the past few years at Davos, amid European integration having become susceptible to the shifting tides in the international system. External and internal challenges, such as the rise of the far-right, increased populism and its policies, economic concerns, and security and migration issues have become major challenges the EU has faced recently. Brexit is only one of the developments that have stirred up debate on the future of the EU.

These recent, critical risks and multilayered challenges show that "Turkey and the EU are in the same boat," as Çavuşoğlu described it. "With its significant contributions to the security, stability and prosperity of the continent, Turkey can help the EU overcome some of these challenges."

As for Turkey's place vis-a-vis the EU, it is not only a key partner concerning regional issues, but is also a major candidate country, and as such, Ankara looks forward to starting a new chapter in its relations with the EU. Turkey is the only non-EU country that has had a customs union agreement with the union, which was signed all the way back in 1966. In its Dec. 21, 2016 assessment, the European Commission proposed a redrawing of the current deal, which only covers a limited range of industrial products and excludes agriculture, public procurement and services. Turkey has fulfilled 66 of the 72 necessary criteria to be an EU member, and Ankara and Brussels signed an agreement in 2016 to find a solution to the influx of refugees heading to the EU through Turkey. Despite significant developments in the control of irregular migration, the EU could not deliver on its commitments stated in the deal.

Çavuşoğlu asserted that the EU needs Turkey if it wants to become and remain a real regional and global power. The untapped potential of Turkish-EU cooperation is huge. Deeper cooperation without accession can only deliver limited success and relations cannot become anything more than transactional.

"The necessity for reflection on this fact is absolutely necessary for the enhancement of relations. Our main expectation from the new EU leadership is to approach Turkey's accession process from a broader perspective and contemplate the contributions Turkey could make," he added.

Çavuşoğlu sees enormous potential in Turkey's membership in the EU, and the March 18 agreement is a good example of what Turkey and the EU can deliver when they work together.

As far as Turkey's road to membership, Ankara applied for EU membership in 1987 and became a candidate country in 1999, with accession talks beginning in 2005. Negotiations stalled in 2007, however, due to objections from Greek Cyprus on the divided island, as well as opposition from Germany and France. Despite what has been a rocky road, accession to the EU still remains a strategic priority for Turkey. "We hope the EU will act with a strategic vision to adopt a more constructive approach and embrace Turkey's accession bid," Çavuşoğlu said. "Turkey's EU membership may seem like a challenge for some, however, when realized, it will be the most valuable among all."

Peace, stability and prosperity

Turkey's enterprising foreign policy with a focus on humanitarian issues emerged as a new concept, as the country has applied an open-border policy for millions fleeing Syria and shifted its foreign policy perspective from security concerns to a more humanitarian approach.

"We pursue a foreign policy that not only aims to safeguard our national interests and contribute to strengthening peace, stability and prosperity for all, but that also prioritizes the human dimension," Çavuşoğlu said.

According to the U.N. Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2014, Turkey was the most generous donor country in terms of percentage of national income. Nearly 3.6 million Syrians from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds live in Turkey under what the government calls "temporary protection status," regarding the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The country also has the largest population of refugees in the world. Accommodation, food, health care, education and other humanitarian needs are provided by the state and volunteer humanitarian aid groups.

Turkey is also actively taking a role to prevent further humanitarian catastrophes and resolve conflicts in different areas of Syria, such as Idlib. "In Syria, it was Turkey's humanitarian action that has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. It was Turkey's diplomacy in the Astana format that has kept U.N. initiatives alive. It was Turkey that prevented the collapse of Syrian territorial integrity in the hands of Daesh and the PKK (and YPG terrorists). In Libya, it was again Turkey that weighed on the side of the legitimate government and enabled a cease-fire," Çavuşoğlu asserted.

Ankara's foreign policy, which Çavuşoğlu calls "conflict prevention and mediation," has become its trademark as an answer to the growing human-made crises of the 21st century. Turkey also has the influence to be able to direct the solutions to these crises, as it is currently a co-chair of the Group of Friends of Mediation and is a member of three of its regional member organizations, the U.N., the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Turkey also co-sponsored the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

What Çavuşoğlu expects from Davos is that "good governance, peaceful resolution of conflicts and disputes, sustainable development, smart use of power and a network of allies and partners be instrumental in achieving lasting peace, stability and prosperity." He is planning to share this outlook with his counterparts.

The 50th Annual World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters is the foremost creative force for engaging the world's top leaders in collaborative activities to shape global and regional agendas, as well as those related to industry, at the start of each year.

The program will be attended by representatives from over a hundred governments and will host 3,000 participants from around the world for the purpose of trying to shape the notion of stakeholder capitalism. It will attempt to assist governments and global actors to reach a goal of combining trade governance and technology with policies friendly to the environment as well as the people worldwide.