Experts

He received his B.S from Middle East Technical University and his Master degree from Uppsala University in the field of International Relations. He received his PhD in Economics at MGIMO University in Russia, where he went with a scholarship granted by the Scientific and Research Council of Türkiye (Tübitak). He worked in various public institutions in the Republic of Turkey and was a senior researcher in the International Energy Charter. Afterwards, he founded a company providing consultancy services and engaged in think tank business for many years. Assoc. Dr. Volkan Özdemir has given lectures on geopolitical economy in various universities and has written many books and articles in different languages, including Turkish, English and Russian.

e-mail: ozdemir@atasam.org.tr

He received B.S from Iraq Baghdad University, Master from California University and PhD degrees from Texas Century University, all on Department of Civil Engineering. His second area of specialization is International Relations, and he received his Master Degree in International Relations from Girne American University in 2015 and his Ph.D. in 2018. Professor Atun, is the author of numerous books on engineering, Cyprus History and Cyprus Politics. He was appointed by the President as the Negotiator and Head of the Turkish Cypriot Delegation at the Annan Plan negotiations held at the United Nations in February, March and April 2004. He was appointed as Advisor to the 1. President of the TRNC, Rauf Denktaş in 2001, to the 3. President of the TRNC, Derviş Eroğlu in 2010 and is Advisor to the 5th President of the TRNC, Ersin Tatar, since 2022. Currently he works as the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and as an International Policy Lecturer at Cyprus Science University in Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.

He completed his undergraduate study at the Department of International Relations at Middle East Technical University (METU). He obtained master degree from international relations at İstanbul Commerce University, Institute of Social Sciences, and doctoral degree from political history with the dissertation on Greek foreign policy at Boğaziçi University, Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History. He has conducted post-doctoral researches at the University of Pécs in Hungary on Eastern European geopolitics with a scholarship from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (Tübitak) between 2021-2023. His research areas mostly focus on Greece, Balkans and Eastern Europe.

hasan@atasam.org.tr

She graduated from the Economics Department of METU (B.A.) and Univ.of Maryland (Doctorate). She was a consultant to the World Bank and the OECD during the period of 1989-1997 and; has been a faculty member of İ.D.Bilkent Üniversity since 1997. Bilin Neyaptı has numerous scientific journal publications on macroeconomics, development and institutional economics, besides edited books, book chapters and books on institutions and development.

neyapti@atasam.org.tr

He graduated from Turkish Naval Academy in 1979. As a deck officer he served in different destroyers and frigates. He assumed the command of guided missile frigate TCG Gaziantep in 1998 and Third Destroyer Division in 2002. He completed his studies in Turkish Naval War College and Armed Forces College in 1989 and 2002 respectively. He holds two master degrees from US Naval Postgraduate School and Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in personnel management and international politics. He was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral (lower half) in 2004 and upper half in 2008. He served as the Chief of Strategy Department and then the head of Plans and Policy Division in Turkish Naval Forces Headquarters. As his combat duties, he has served as the commander of Amphibious Ships Group and Mine Fleet between 2007 and 2009. He retired in 2012. He established Hamit Naci Blue Homeland Foundation in 2021. He has published numerous books on geopolitics, maritime strategy, maritime history and maritime culture.

She graduated from Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. She started his working life at the General Directorate of PTT. He worked as the Head of Information Networks Department at Türk Telekom. He served as the manager responsible for Turkey's Internet infrastructure. After 1999, she continued his profession in the private sector. She served as the General Secretary of Telkoder Free Telecommunication Operators Association and Turkish Informatics Association. After completing his professional life, he worked in various Non-Governmental Organizations.

He graduated from Marmara University Faculty of Law in 2007 with international law studies and completed his internship and started working as a lawyer at the Istanbul Bar Association. He completed his thesis on the Ankara Agreement by completing his master's degree at Ghent University. He completed his military service as a judicial officer in Ankara. Cindemir, who is currently working on her doctoral thesis at Istanbul Commerce University, speaks English and French. He is the author of the book "International Advocacy for Beginners".

He graduated from Gazi University, Department of Business Administration. Between 1992-94, he completed his master's degree in communication at the New York Institute of Technology in the USA. In the same period, he worked as the New York and United Nations correspondent for Anadolu Agency and TRT. In 1995, he stepped into television journalism as a diplomacy and defense correspondent at Kanal D Ankara Office. He worked as a member and board member of the Diplomacy Reporters Association during and after its establishment. Afterwards, he served as the Deputy Director of TRT Foreign News. After being transferred to TRT Türk as Foreign News Editor in 2008, he was appointed to TRT İzmir News Center in 2010 and retired from there.

He graduated from Istanbul High Merchant Maritime Academy and completed the City Of London Polytechnic “Commercial Operation In Shipping” school with a distinctive graduation degree. He worked as the General Manager of a private shipping company until 1987, and in 1987 he founded Polaris Shipping. He became one of the founding members and engaged in active work at the Kartal Steamboat Rescue and Survival Platform, with the aim of finding and repairing the monument vessel Kartal Steamboat on which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk gave the first sign of the War of Independence by saying, "They go as they come". Levent Akson, who closely follows the agenda by attending national and foreign Maritime seminars every year, spares time for activities such as social aid projects and organic agriculture.

After graduating from Marmara University, He received his master’s degree from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee, Scotland. He later earned his PhD in Energy Law and Policy from CEPMLP. Şahin, who has published several international and national book chapters in the fields of Energy Law and Policy, still works as a faculty member at the Ondokuz Mayıs University, School of Law. Şahin’s academic research focuses on EU Energy Law and Policy and Corporate Law.