Ambassador (R) Tacan Ildem, a member of NATO Experts Group that presented a report entitled “NATO 2030: United for a New Era”, is a senior Turkish diplomat. Since the start of his long career in 1978 till February 2021 he held bilateral and multilateral positions including NATO Assistant Secretary General between 2016 to 2020. He served as the Turkish Ambassador to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to NATO and the OSCE. He also served as Director General for International Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chief of Cabinet, Principal Foreign Policy Advisor and Spokesperson of the President of the Republic. His postings abroad also include those at the Embassies in Washington DC, Athens and New Delhi. Ambassador Ildem is a graduate of Ankara University Faculty of Political Science. He is a recipient of the decoration of Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity and the Medal of Gratitude of Albania.

Sinan Ülgen graduated in 1987 from the University of Virginia with a double major in computer sciences and economics. He undertook graduate studies at the College of Europe in Brugge, Belgium where he received, in 1990, a masters degree in European economic integration. He then joined the Turkish Foreign Service as a career diplomat. In 1992, he was posted to the Turkish Permanent Delegation to the European Union in Brussels where he became part of the team that negotiated the Turkey-EU customs union.

Ulgen is the founder and managing partner of Istanbul Economics. The consultancy specializes in market entry strategies for international companies, political and economic risk analysis related to Turkey and regulatory affairs.

Ulgen is also the director of the Istanbul based think tank, Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) and a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe in Brussels. His research and opinion pieces have been published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Center for European Policy Studies, Center for European Reform, the Atlantic Council, German Marshall Fund, Brookings and the World Economic Forum as well as newspapers such as Le Figaro, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, European Voice, Project Syndicate and the International New York Times. He is also the co-author of a book on Turkey-EU relations with Kemal Dervis and a frequent commentator on Turkish affairs in the international press. Ulgen served on the academic advisory board member of the NATO Defence College in Rome. He was a member of the Europe Council of the World Economic Forum. He was also a member of the international policy experts group set up by the NATO Secretary General Rasmussen.

Can Selçuki holds a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from the Bilkent University and an MSc degree in Economics from University Bocconi. Currently, he works as the General Manager of Istanbul Economics Research which is a market research and online big data analytics company based in Istanbul. Before, Can worked as an economist at the World Bank Ankara Office for 4 years working both with the public and private partners in private sector development. His work at the World Bank focused on regional development, competition and innovation policies. Prior to working at the World Bank, Can worked as an economics researcher at the Brussels based think tank the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) for three years. He is the author of papers and reports on trade competitiveness, regional development and innovation policy in Turkey.

Beken Saatçioğlu is a Professor of International Relations at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at MEF University, Istanbul. She received her B.A. (2000) from Marmara University, and holds an M.A. (2003) and a Ph.D. (2009) from the University of Virginia, USA. Prof. Saatçioğlu has served as a post-doctoral fellow at Freie Universität Berlin (2009-2010) and the Centre for European Integration Research (EIF) in Vienna (2010-2011). In addition to MEF University, she has taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses at Boğaziçi University. During 2020-2023, she held a Jean Monnet Chair at MEF University with her project EUTURDI (“EU-Turkey Relations in an Era of Differentiated Integration”). In 2016-2019, she participated as a researcher to the Horizon Europe FEUTURE (“The Future of EU-Turkey Relations: Mapping Dynamics and Testing Scenarios”) project and contributed (as first author) to the FEUTURE final synthesis paper “The Future of EU-Turkey Relations: A Dynamic Association Framework amidst Conflictual Cooperation”. Her main areas of research include European Union enlargement and conditionality, Turkey–EU relations, the EU’s foreign and migration policy, European integration and Turkish politics. She is the co-editor of the book Turkey and the European Union: Key Dynamics and Future Scenarios (Nomos, 2021). Her other publications have appeared in international edited volumes and peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Contemporary European Studies, South European Society and Politics, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Democratization, Turkish Studies, European Politics and Society and Uluslararası İlişkiler.

Journalist Barçın Yinanç has been following international relations and Turkish foreign policy for over 30 years. Her articles are currently published in T24, AnkaReview, Yetkinreport, Daktilo1984, and Turkeyanalyst.

Between 1991 and 2005, she worked as a diplomatic correspondent at Milliyet Newspaper, TV8, and CNN Türk Ankara bureaus. She covered numerous international meetings and conducted interviews with foreign leaders.

In 2005, she moved to Istanbul and worked at CNN Türk and Referans newspaper. Later, she joined Hürriyet Daily News, where she held various positions within the newspaper. Besides conducting interviews, she also wrote columns focusing on foreign policy and international relations for a decade.

Since 2020, she has been working as a freelance journalist.

She has moderated or spoken at meetings and seminars of many international organizations and think tanks, primarily the United Nations.

Yinanç is a member of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, the Women in Foreign Policy platform, the Science Board of the Paris Bosphorus Institute, and SCİJ (International Skiing Journalists Club).

Yinanç graduated from the International Relations department of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) in 1991.

Derya Göçer is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Social Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), where she also serves as the Chair of the Middle East Studies and Area Studies. She received her BA in Philosophy and a minor in Political Science from METU, and completed her MSc and PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research interests lie at the intersection of international relations theory, area studies, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and Turkey’s foreign relations with the Middle East and China. Dr. Göçer has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, edited volumes, and policy outlets, contributing original insights into regional transformation, infrastructure politics, and social movements. She has also served as researcher and coordinator in multiple international projects funded by European and international institutions.  Beyond academia, she has delivered training sessions on research design and methodology for civil society organizations. Her interdisciplinary work offers analyses of Turkey’s foreign policy, infrastructure politics, social movements, and processes of regional transformation.

Graduate of A.Ü. Faculty of Political Sciences (1986). Served in various positions for 31 years in relevant departments of the Prime Ministry and Presidency. He served as Second Secretary, First Secretary, and Counceller at the Turkish Embassy in Damascus (2007-2012) and the Turkish Embassy in Beirut (2019-2022). He retired upon his return from Beirut. His work covers international relations, geopolitical conflict areas, crisis management, terrorism, proxy forces, manipulation, disinformation, provocation, and agitation. His analyses and articles are published by the Ankara Policy Center, EDAM, and Yetkin Report. He shares his knowledge and assessments with young people in conferences he gives at universities. He has written a novel about geopolitical developments and actors in the Middle East, focusing on the activities of secret services in the field. The book is currently being edited. He serves as a senior analyst and board member at EDAM (Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies).

Selva Demiralp is a Professor of Economics at Koç University and Director of the Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum. She is the recipient of the Yapı Kredi Chair of Economic Research. After receiving her Ph.D. from University of California at Davis, she worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Board between 2000 and 2005, after which she joined the Economics department at Koç University. Over the past decade, Demiralp had extensive interactions with several central banks, including the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. She worked as a consultant for the ECB. Her views on the Turkish economy frequently appear in international media outlets including the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and the Economist. She writes for BBC Turkish News.

Retired Lieutenant General Nihat Kökmen was born in Eskişehir in 1959. After completing his primary, secondary, and high school education in Ankara, he entered the Air Force Academy in 1977. He graduated from the Air Force Academy on August 30, 1981, with the rank of Lieutenant. Retired Lieutenant General Nihat Kökmen served in various capacities within the Turkish Air Force Command, including as a pilot, staff officer, and commander. He also served as Deputy Undersecretary at the Ministry of National Defence, Air Planning Officer at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Europe (SHAPE) (Mons/Belgium), and Turkish Military Representative to NATO (Brussels/Belgium). In addition, he served as a unit commander at the Ghedi Air Force Base in Italy during NATO's 1999 Kosovo Air Operation. Retired Lieutenant General Kökmen, during his 38-year career as a pilot, accumulated a total of 3900 flight hours, including 200 hours in operational flights, flying various types of aircraft (F-16, F-104). He is a recipient of the NATO Medal, the United Nations Medal, and the Turkish Armed Forces Medal for Outstanding Courage and Selflessness. Retired Lieutenant General Nihat Kökmen is married to Ayşenur Kökmen and has two sons (Alper and Aybars) and two grandchildren (Ege and Ada).

Dr. Yavuz Türkgenci is recently retired general in the Turkish Armed Forces whose career spanned offices, including Western European Union (WEU) and NATO posts and as the commandant of the Turkish Third Field Army. He holds a PhD in Security Strategies and Management and an MSc in Weapon System Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. He is the author of books on Digital Knights (New Era for Land Wars, Unmanned Ground Vehicle Design), and Design and Management of Security Strategies in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. His main areas of focus are formulations of security strategies, concepts, defense planning, defense reviews, and defense industry strategies. He works on applying artificial intelligence to defense projects and unmanned systems such as ground and aerial vehicles. 

Born in 1978, Hande Karakulah is a graduate of Ankara Atatürk Anatolian High School and Istanbul University Faculty of Law. Having completed her master’s degree in European Union Law, Hande started her legal career in 2001 at Şanver & Esin Law Firm. Later, he worked as a freelance attorney at ADMD Law Firm, of which he was a partner, and as a legal consultant in British American Tobacco Turkey, and then worked as the Chief Legal Counsel in Turkey, Middle East and Africa region of Natura&Co, of which Avon is also a part, for 10 years. Hande is currently working as the Legal and Scientific Director of L’Oreal Turkey.

The civil society adventure that started with the Young Lawyers Club experience that Hande founded with her student friends at the university has continued over the years in many non-governmental organizations, in different levels and roles. Membership and Vice President of the Young Arı formation within the Arı Movement paved the way for the role of Secretary General in the Economy and Foreign Policy (EDP) Forum founded by Kemal Derviş, thus having the opportunity to work for Turkey’s European Union ideal.

She is still a member of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies and the Transparency Association, and a volunteer of the Bir Adım Var Foundation. Also being the founding member of the SES Equality and Solidarity Association and a member of the Board of Directors, Hande strives to be a supporter of all kinds of progressive, civic initiatives, especially those related to women, just as she strives to be a good mother to Alp and a good companion to all her loved ones.

Ural Aküzüm was educated at Galatasaray High School, studied Political Science at the University of Montpellier, and graduated from Marmara University Faculty of Law. He completed his PhD in Public Law at Kültür University. He conducts academic work focusing on International Law, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, and Political Science. In addition to Istanbul Bilgi University, where he has served for twenty years as an academic, department chair, and member of the board of trustees, he has held positions at Gedik University as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law, Director of the Justice Vocational School, and Head of Department, and has taught International Law at Yeditepe University. He has published six books, two book chapters, and numerous academic articles. Representing his family companies, he served for twelve years in managerial roles at FC Galatasaray and in business-related NGOs, and he is currently a Executive Board Member of the Turkish Football Federation and a Member of the Executive Committee of the UEFA Amateur Football and Youth Committee. 

Arda Batu is the Secretary General & Board Member of Turkish Business Confederation (TÜRKONFED). Arda attained his high school degree from The Browning School in 1996 and then joined New York University, where he was included in the “Dean’s Honors List”. Arda moved to Istanbul in 1997 and transferred his studies to Bosphorus University, where attained his BA degree from the Department of Political Science & International Relations. In 2001, Arda joined the European Parliament Internship program and then joined the European Studies Institute MA program of The Marmara University; he graduated 2003. Besides his role at TURKONFED, Arda Batu serves as an independent board member at Federal Mogul Izmit Piston, a subsidiary of Tenecco Powertrain in Turkey. Arda is on the executive board of Connecting Business Initiative (CBi), a joint initiative by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In addition, he is on the board of Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) and High Council Member of Human Development Foundation (INGEV).

Prof. Ahmet K. Han serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of TED University. He is with the Faculty of Social Sciences at Beykoz University in Istanbul. His research interests are strategic thinking, negotiations and foreign policy analysis. Prof Han holds a B.A. in economics and international relations, an MA on political history and a Ph. D. on international relations from the Istanbul University and has studied negotiations in Harvard. He has been awarded a “Young Leaders of Europe” grant on U.S. Foreign policy by the Department of State of the U.S.A. and has been an observer for NATO on the state of the NATO/ ISAF Operation in Afghanistan twice, in 2005 and 2011. He has published extensively on Afghanistan, geo-strategy of energy politics, US Foreign Policy and Turkish foreign policy. Prof Han has worked as a columnist in Turkish dailies Radikal and Referans. He is also the chief editorial advisor of the Turkish edition of the New Perspectives Quarterly. Prof Han has extensive experience as an adviser and consultant to the private sector in the field of strategic business development and negotiations. He has also served as the International Relations Advisor for Turkish Exporters Assembly, the umbrella organization of Turkey’s exporting industries between 2003 – 2006. He has lectured for and held academic posts in Istanbul University, Bilgi University, İstanbul Commerce University, Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) War Academy (Staff College) and Air Force War College. From 2005 to 2008. Prof Han was responsible for structuring and teaching of the “International Negotiation Strategies” course module for TAF, a must course for all senior officers assigned to international military postings including NATO. He has also served as a visiting scholar in the University of St. Andrews’s Center for Syrian Studies in Scotland in 2011.

Özgehan Şenyuva is a Professor of International Relations and Head of the Department of International Relations at Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara. His academic work focuses extensively on youth, public opinion, Turkey–European relations, and the politics of European football. He has extensive experience in large-scale international research projects and served as the principal investigator of FREE: Football Research in an Enlarged Europe (free-project.eu), a pioneering FP7 project completed in 2015. He was also a key researcher in the FP7 SAHWA project (Researching Arab Mediterranean Youth: Towards a New Social Contract) (sahwa.eu), publishing numerous policy papers, reports, and academic articles on Arab–Mediterranean youth. In addition, he was one of the principal investigators of the large-scale Horizon 2020 research project FEUTURE – The Future of EU–Turkey Relations: Mapping Dynamics and Testing Scenarios (feuture.eu). Şenyuva has worked for more than two decades as a youth worker and trainer and has a strong background in the learning mobility field. He is a steering group member of the European Platform on Learning Mobility. He has published numerous research and opinion articles, book chapters, and authored a book on youth work and learning mobility.