By Xinhua,
Istanbul, Turkey : A joint statement issued after the first ministerial meeting of the Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum said the forum is helpful in deepening bilateral ties.
The forum “will further expand and deepen the relations in all fields between Turkey and the Arab countries by providing an institutional framework to promote cooperation and comprehensive consultations in all fields of mutual trust,” it said.
The forum was held in the largest Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday, marking the launch of a new cooperation mechanism between the two sides.
It touched upon a wide range of issues, including cooperation in solving the Middle East conflicts, economic, cultural, educational and people to people relations between the two sides, it said.
The forum stated its support for active and effective negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel as called for by the Annapolis peace process in November 2007.
The attendants declared their concern that unilateral actions, in particular Israel’s settlement policies in Palestinian territories, jeopardize the peace process and should be stopped immediately.
The forum also said the rift among the Palestinians is harmful to the Palestinian cause and the Mideast peace process, affirming its support for the Egyptian efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation.
The forum also expressed its determination to fight terrorism, strongly condemning recent deadly terrorist attacks in Turkey staged by the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).
The Arab League (AL) reiterated its support for the candidature of Turkey for a nonpermanent membership in the UN Security Council for the term in 2009-2010, according to the statement.
With Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan presiding the meeting, AL Secretary General Amr Moussa, foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Djibouti and Syria, and special envoy to Algerian president attended the meeting considered by both Turkish and Arab officials as a turning point in bilateral ties.
The launch of the forum is in line with an agreement signed by Babacan and the AL secretary general on the fringe of an expanded summit of Iraq’s neighbors held in Istanbul in the autumn of 2007.
Over the past few years, Ankara has taken significant steps to develop and diversify its relations, on both a bilateral and multilateral basis, with the Arab world.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has established consultation mechanisms with a number of Arab countries, including Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.