FM meets ministers from Gulf
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Temmuz 09, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met his counterparts Wednesday from the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC Ğ Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The first joint ministerial meeting of the GCC-Turkey High Level Strategic Dialogue started an hour late because of a diverging view among GCC members on the final draft of the joint statement issued after the meeting. It was particularly difficult to agree on the wording concerning the Iraq-Kuwait situation and the dispute between the United Arab Emirates and Iran on the three islands of Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to reinforce cooperation in the areas of politics, economics and culture. During the press conference, Davutoğlu emphasized that the strategic dialogue between Turkey and the GCC does not aim at forming a bloc against a third party. The joint statement included the views of the two sides on various regional issues. Below are excerpts from the joint statement: The two sides expressed concern at the lack of progress toward resolving the dispute over the three islands of Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb. The two sides reaffirmed their respect for Iraq’s unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the preservation of its Arab and Islamic identity. The two sides also welcomed the positive declaration by the U.S. administration toward achieving peace in the Middle East.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to reinforce cooperation in the areas of politics, economics and culture. During the press conference, Davutoğlu emphasized that the strategic dialogue between Turkey and the GCC does not aim at forming a bloc against a third party. The joint statement included the views of the two sides on various regional issues. Below are excerpts from the joint statement: The two sides expressed concern at the lack of progress toward resolving the dispute over the three islands of Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb. The two sides reaffirmed their respect for Iraq’s unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the preservation of its Arab and Islamic identity. The two sides also welcomed the positive declaration by the U.S. administration toward achieving peace in the Middle East.