(ANSAmed) - ANKARA, FEBRUARY 6 - The talks held by the Italian
Foreign Minister's special envoy for the Middle East and
Mediterranean, Maurizio Massari, with Turkey show Italy's strong
interest in working closely together with Turkey on all
questions that regard the Middle East and the Arab Spring. The
talks focused, among other issues, on coordinating Turkey's and
Italy's efforts to try and get the political process in Syria
going again.
Massari told ANSA that he has held talks with the most important
officials of the Turkish Foreign Ministry that deal with the
Middle East, the Arab Spring and the current major crises, like
the one in Syria.
''We believe Turkey is an absolutely crucial player in the
entire region,'' said the envoy of Minister Giulio Terzi, adding
that Turkey's role has ''grown after last year's events and
therefore we want to work more closely together to share
political views and opinions. This message was well received,''
Massari continued, adding that ''Turkey also want to work
closely with us and exchange views regularly."
In the talks, he reports, we have zoomed in on ''the evolution
of the entire region, from Tunisia to Morocco, from Egypt to
Libya and on the democratic transitions in these countries,''
in which both Italy and Turkey ''have interests and have an
important role to play."
Regarding Syria, where, after the Russian-Chinese veto in the
UN, ''there is a need to start again to try and move the
political process forward,'' said Massari, ''we agreed on the
need to continue to support the efforts of the Arab League and
to involve the Syrian opposition to allow the movement to
coordinate and unify into a movement that represents all its
components."
''We will stay in close contact while taking the next steps in
this direction,'' Terzi's envoy continued. There will be several
opportunities to resume the discussion on these issues, like the
Foromed summit in Rome on February 20, for which Turkey has
received an invitation, and the forum that will be held in
Ankara on 2 and 3 March, organised by the Aspen Institute.
(ANSAmed).
(ANSAmed).
