The world is going through a historic period where concerns over the question “Will World War III break out?” are rising, and global peace is under serious threat. The Ukraine-Russia war, along with the attacks by the US and Israel—first on Palestine and then on Iran—are deeply shaking the international security architecture. The points emphasized in the final declaration of the NATO Summit held in Ankara have also revealed the critical importance of new security strategies on a regional and global scale in the upcoming period.
Organized by the World Civilizations Initiative Research Center and scheduled to take place in Ankara between July 18-19, 2026, the “Alliance to Prevent the Great War” Conference will bring together politicians, academics, diplomats, military personnel, and experts from various countries to comprehensively discuss how a potential world war can be prevented through a Turkey-Russia-Iran-China alliance.
Attended by prominent figures from Turkey, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the United States of America, the Italian Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, the Republic of South Africa, Japan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the French Republic, Algeria, and Georgia, the conference will serve as a crucial discussion platform where diverse perspectives and international experiences converge.
The event program and speakers are as follows:
| Saturday, 18 July 2026 |
| REGISTRATION | 09.00 – 10.00 | ||
| OPENING SESSION | 10.00 – 10.15 | ||
| 10.00 – 10.15 | Türkiye | Prof. Dr. Semih Koray President of the World Civilizations Initiative Research Center (DÜNYA-MER) | |
| SESSION 1 | 10.15 – 12.00 | ||
| 10.15 – 10.30 | Türkiye | Session Chair: Prof. Dr. Şükrü Sina Gürel Former Deputy Prime Minister, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| 10.30 – 10.45 | Russia | Aleksandr Galushka Former Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, President of “Kristall Rosta” Foundation | |
| 10.45 – 11.00 | Türkiye | Dr. Doğu Perinçek Chairman of the Vatan Party | |
| 11.00 – 11.15 | Türkiye | Ret. Rear Adm. Dr. Deniz Kutluk | |
| 11.15 – 11.30 | Azerbaijan | Elshad Mirbashiroglu Member of Parliament of Azerbaijan (6th Term) | |
| 11.30 – 11.35 | USA | Larry C. Johnson Former CIA Analyst (Online) | |
| 11.35 – 12.00 | Discussion | ||
| LUNCH BREAK | 12.00 – 13.00 | ||
| SESSION 2 | 13.00 – 15.00 | ||
| 13.00 – 13.15 | Türkiye | Session Chair: Fatih Ceylan Former Ambassador, Former Permanent Representative to NATO, Director of the Ankara Policy Center | |
| 13.15 – 13.30 | Italy | Francesco Cosimato Ret. General | |
| 13.30 – 13.45 | Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | Brahim Mokhtar Boumakhrouta Director General for Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SADR | |
| 13.45 – 14.00 | Türkiye | Ali Özgündüz Member of Parliament (24th Term) | |
| 14.00 – 14.10 | USA | Scott Ritter Former Naval Intelligence Officer (Online) | |
| 14.10 – 14.25 | TRNC | Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Işıksal Former Special Advisor to the Presidency on International Relations and Diplomacy | |
| 14.25 – 14.35 | Germany | Prof. Dr. Ulrike Guerot Political Scientist, Founder of the European Democracy Lab (Online) | |
| 14.35 – 15.00 | Discussion | ||
| COFFEE BREAK | 15.00 – 15.30 | ||
| SESSION 3 | 15.30 – 17.00 | ||
| 15.30 – 15.45 | Greece | Session Chair: Dimitris Konstantakopoulos Journalist, Author | |
| 15.45 – 16.00 | South Africa | Shakeel Bhaktawer International Representative of the South African Communist Party | |
| 16.00 – 16.05 | Japan | Kimura Mitsuhiro Chairman of the Japanese Patriotic Issuikai Organization (Online) | |
| 16.05 – 16.20 | Türkiye | Habip Eksik Member of Parliament (27th Term) | |
| 16.20 – 16.25 | Germany | Kay-Achim Schönbach Former Navy Commander (Online) | |
| 16.25 – 16.30 | Spain | Javier Hurtado Mira Chairman at Democrat Youth Community of Europe (DEMYC) | |
| 16.30 – 16.40 | England | Prof. Richard Sakwa Political Scientist (Online) | |
| 16.40 – 17.00 | Discussion | ||
| Sunday, 19 July 2026 |
| SESSION 4 | 10.00 – 11.30 | ||
| 10.00 – 10.15 | Georgia | Session Chair: Shota Apkhaidze Director of the Caucasus Islamic Studies Center | |
| 10.15 – 10.30 | Iran | Farshid Bagerian Political Analyst, Former Faculty Member | |
| 10.30 – 10.45 | Spain | Marta Martin Vice President and Head of the International Commission of the European Left Party (Online) | |
| 10.45 – 10.50 | Italy | Stefano Vernole Deputy Director of the Eurasia and Mediterranean Research Center | |
| 10.50 – 11.05 | Türkiye | Prof. Dr. Atakan Hatipoğlu Faculty Member of Political and Social Sciences, Aydın Adnan Menderes University | |
| 11.05 – 11.10 | France | Claude Janvier Author, Political Analyst (Online) | |
| 11.10 – 11.30 | Discussion | ||
| COFFEE BREAK | 11.30 – 12.00 | ||
| ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FINAL DECLARATION | 12.00 | ||
