Eyes will be on the Turkish resort city of Antalya on Nov. 15 where an impressive list of world leaders, headed by US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, will gather at the 10th meeting of G-20 countries for talks held under the shadow of the Syrian crisis. Turkey, which has held the G-20’s term presidency since December 2014, is hosting the summit.

The gathering will provide President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an opportunity to engage in some international grandstanding after he strengthened his hand following the recent electoral victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which he once led.

The official agenda includes global economic issues of vital importance to Turkey, as it’s the 17th largest economy in the world. But the Syrian civil war, the refugee crisis and the need to fight the Islamic State (IS) are expected to dominate the bilateral talks on the sidelines, as well as the discussions during the official dinner to be hosted by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Erdogan is expected to emphasize the Syrian crisis during his opening address. He will no doubt be speaking more self-assuredly than usual, not only because of the AKP’s recent electoral victory, but also because the refugee crisis has left Europe in need of his assistance.