D. AVRAMOPOULOS: On the margins of the BSEC Conference, I met a short while ago with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and we had a friendly, warm talk, without going into the substance of the issues. But the main thing is that we reaffirmed our mutual desire to move ahead as soon as possible with the cultivation of good neighbourly relations of understanding and cooperation.
I am in Istanbul to participate in the BSEC Conference, and of course during my stay here I will also meet with other colleagues from the wider Black Sea region.
The climate was positive, it was good. We expressed our mutual desire to continue in the future, and all indications are that in September we will have our first official meeting.
JOURNALIST: In Ankara?
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: In Athens, where we will meet to prepare the meeting that is to take place later in Ankara, within the framework of the agreement we already have on intergovernmental conferences. One thing is certain: that in our wider region, the climate and environment we are trying to shape is an environment of security, stability and cooperation.
JOURNALIST: A question on regional issues, on Syria?
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: As I said earlier, there was no agenda for this meeting. It was a purely friendly meeting in a particularly warm climate. We didn’t refer to such issues. What’s more, the stance taken by the European Union regarding the Syria issue is very clear.
June 26, 2012