Syria Today | Damascus hosts Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum

Damascus hosts Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum

Damascus hosted the second meeting of foreign ministers of the Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum on December 15.

The meeting focused on bolstering Turkish-Arab League cooperation in the fields of security, defence, education, culture and the economy, Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported.

Representatives from Sudan, Libya, Qatar, Iraq and Somalia and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa took part in the conference which was chaired by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mu’allem and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoğlu.

In a statement to SANA following the conference, Mu’allem underlined the Arab world’s “appreciation of Turkey’s stances regarding Arab causes”, pointing to Turkey’s refusal to support the US-led invasion of Iraq, its condemnation of Israel’s two-month war on Gaza at the beginning of 2009 and its support for the Goldstone Report.

Following the meeting, a statement detailing the two sides’ regional concerns was issued. It repeated calls on Israel to cease all settlement activities in occupied Palestine and lift its siege on Gaza. Among other issues, it also underlined the role the European Union has to play in the peace process and stressed the participants’ commitment to supporting Iraq’s government and promoting stability in the region.

“An agreement has been made on a number of practical steps,” Moussa said at a press conference on December 15. “Syria will host a workshop on regional security in the first quarter of 2010 and Turkey will host another workshop on culture and scientific research in the second quarter of 2010.”

Trade exchange between the Arab world and Turkey increased from SYP 317.45bn (USD 7bn) in 2002 to SYP 1.67trn (USD 37bn) in 2008, according to SANA.

Syrian-Turkish relations moved from strength to strength last year. The two countries held their first joint military exercises in March, cancelled visa requirements for citizens wishing to cross over their shared border, and held the first session of the High-Level Turkey-Syria Strategic Cooperation Council in October, an initiative which aims to further enhance bilateral relations.

The third meeting of foreign ministers of the Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum will be held in Istanbul next year in June 2010.