21 January 2019•Update: 22 January 2019
By Gokhan Ergocun
ISTANBUL
The World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting will begin on Tuesday in the winter resort village of Davos, Switzerland.
The 49th annual meeting will be organized under the main theme of "Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution".
Within the scope of the four-day meeting, several topics will be discussed such as the future of the economy, environmental issues, digital economy, media freedom, and data governance.
The program will be attended by representatives from over 100 governments, 1,000 global companies, and international organizations.
Trump, May and Macron skip summit
The Forum's Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab will deliver the opening speech.
This year, the U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron will not attend the event.
However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will attend the summit.
From Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan and the Central Bank's Governor Murat Cetinkaya are expected to attend the meeting.
