Türkiye has hosted many important governmental and non-governmental meetings starting with the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in İstanbul in 1998.
Since then, Türkiye has successfully organized international conferences such as the NATO Summit, AGIT Summit, the World Water Forum with 33,000 visitors, and the IMF World Bank Conference with over 20,000 visitors in 2009. Türkiye is recognized as one of the most popular destinations for governmental meetings.
In 2015, the G20 summit was held in Antalya with the participation of heads of states.
İstanbul, Ankara, and Antalya have hosted important world leaders in the last 20 years on the occasion of various congresses and meetings, and have proven that Türkiye has the capacity to host world summits.
Türkiye caters to the special needs of VIP and protocol meetings while destinations and suppliers are fully aware of issues of security and capacity. With exceptional hospitality skills and service quality, Türkiye offers the best opportunities and facilities.
Among the world leaders who have visited Türkiye in recent years are Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II; former United States Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama; Russian President Vladimir Putin; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; former Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis; and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Important religious leaders who have visited the country include Pope Benedict XVI, the spiritual leader of the Catholic world.