WIPO Director General Daren Tang Visits Türkiye; Participates in Antalya Diplomacy Forum
March 5, 2024
WIPO Director General Daren Tang met with high level Turkish officials during an official visit to Türkiye on February 28-March 2, 2024, including participation in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
In Ankara, Mr. Tang met with the Vice President of Türkiye, Mr. Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Industry and Technology, Mr. Mehmet Fatih Kacır and Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Nadir Alpaslan.
He also visited the TÜRKPATENT campus where he discussed cooperation with Dr. M. Zeki Durak, President of TÜRKPATENT and spoke with the staff of the office. He also visited ODTÜ TEKNOPARK where he met with Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök, President of Middle East Technical University and joined a roundtable with startups.
In Antalya, he spoke at a Roundtable on International Trade, Connectivity and Interdependence and held a number of bilateral meetings, including with Mr. Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria and Ministers from Brazil, Hungary, Namibia, Romania, Senegal, Serbia, Türkiye and Uzbekistan.
Bilateral Meetings in Ankara
In the meeting with the Mr. Yılmaz, discussions focused on the inclusion of intellectual property (IP) elements in the 12th Development Plan of Türkiye, the country’s impressive IP filings, innovation infrastructure, as well as future cooperation with WIPO on IP for SMEs, commercialization and geographical indications (GIs).
Mr. Tang signed an agreement with the Minister of Industry and Technology Mr. Mehmet Fatih Kacır, for a youth capacity building project. They also agreed to explore a series of new projects for startups and SMEs, on IP commercialization and GIs.
During the meeting with Mr. Nadir Alpaslan, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, discussions focused on the importance of IP for the creative industry and tourism, the impact of AI and how to best support artists in Türkiye.
Visit of TÜRKPATENT and TÜRKSMD
During the visit to the TÜRKPATENT campus, the Director General discussed cooperation activities with President Durak and his team and visited the affiliated Turkish Industrial Property Valuation Engineering and Consultancy Services (TÜRKSMD). It was also an opportunity to address the staff of the Office and reply to a series of questions.
Visit and Roundtable ODTÜ Teknopark
At ODTÜ Teknopark, together with Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök, President, Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) and his team, discussions were held on research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer activities. It was also an opportunity to join a roundtable discussion with dynamic startup founders and speak about how IP is part of their business strategies.
Roundtable at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum
During the 3rd edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, The Director General joined Vice President Yilmaz, and ministers from four continents, on a panel discussing international trade, connectivity, and interdependence. He spoke about how IP has emerged as a key catalyst for innovation, technology, digitalization and entrepreneurship, and shared insights about recent and future trends.
Bilateral Meetings in Antalya
The Director General held a series of bilateral meetings at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, including with Mr. Rumen Radev, President of Republic of Bulgaria. The President said his countries is seeking to strengthen the ties between science, education and business and create sustainable prospects for small and medium-sized enterprises and Bulgaria’s youth. Mr. Tang said WIPO is ready to conduct more training and IP management programs in Bulgaria, including for young people to enhance their ability to implement their innovative ideas.
In addition, the Director General met with Ms. Luminita Odobescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania and HE Mr. Peter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.
Discussions on IP and future cooperation activities were also covered during the meetings with Mr. Bakhtiyor Saidov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha, Secretary General of Foreign Affairs of Brazil.
The Director General also met with Mr. Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, and Mr. Ismaila Madior Fall, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Senegal.
Mr. Tang also met with Mr. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye and Mr. Peya Mushelenga, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of Namibia
During all meetings, it was widely recognized that innovation, creativity, and IP play an increasingly important role in the development of nations and communities.