ISTANBUL, Turkey, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural ministerial meeting of
the Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum is to be held in the largest Turkish city of
Istanbul on Saturday, in a move to improve relations between Turkey and the Arab
world.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will meet with Secretary General of
the Arab League (AL) Amr Moussa, foreign ministers of Algeria, Saudi Arabia and
Djibouti and Syria, which currently holds the presidency of the AL Summit,
according to an earlier statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
The inaugural meeting will add a new impetus to the relations between
Turkey and the Arab countries that have developed significantly in all fields in
recent years and will constitute a venue to reconfirm the existing mutual will
to further these relations, said the statement.
The inaugural meeting will also reinforce the efforts aimed at
strengthening peace and stability in the Middle East, it added.
A joint statement will be issued at the end of the meeting to establish the
framework of the cooperation between Turkey and the AL, according to the agenda.
There will be a signing ceremony for an agreement enabling the pan-Arab
bloc to open an office here, said a Turkish official who declined to give his
name.
The meeting is considered by many Turkish officials as a turning point in
Turkey's ties with the Arab world.