ISTANBUL
High level officials from numerous countries, who gathered in Istanbul to assess the situation in Syria, have discussed further steps such as extending more support to Syrian people and achieving coordination on transition to democracy in the country.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hosted a meeting on Syria on Wednesday with the participation of high level representatives from various countries who are currently in Istanbul to attend a global summit on counterterrorism, co-chaired by Turkey and the United States.
"The Prime Minister of Qatar and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States; the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy as well as high level representatives from Kuwait and Spain met on 6 June 2012 in Istanbul on the margins of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum," said a statement from the Turkish foreign ministry early on Thursday.
The statement noted that participants of the gathering had discussed additional steps including further support for the people of Syria and coordination on an effective and credible transition process that led to a democratic, post-Assad Syria.
Officials agreed to convene a coordination group to provide support to the Syrian opposition, and to send a representative to Istanbul on 15-16 June to attend the coordination meeting of all the opposition, the statement said.
"They welcomed the proposal by France to host the next meeting of the Friends of the Syrian People in Paris in the beginning of July. They will continue this joint work towards a democratic Syria," the statement added.
The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), launched in September 2011, is an informal, multilateral counterterrorism body that focuses on identifying critical civilian counterterrorism needs, mobilizing the necessary expertise and resources to address these issues and build global political will.
The second meeting of the Coordinating Committee of the forum will take place in Istanbul on June 7-8.
