The Portuguese Presidency will hold the EU Informal Foreign Ministers meeting (Gymnich) in Viana do Castelo on 7-8 September 2007. The meeting will take place in the form of a working lunch including the Foreign Ministers of the candidate countries on 8 September 2007.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Ali Babacan will participate in the working lunch.

The Gymnich meetings which are named after the Gymnich Chateau in Germany where it was first held in 1974, take place during the tenure of each Presidency. At these meetings a number of current issues concerning general and foreign relations of the EU are discussed in informal setting.

The topic of the working lunch, where Turkey will also participate, will be the Middle East Peace Process.

As a negotiating country, Turkey at specific intervals and occasions exchanges views with the EU member states on regional and international issues.

These meetings provide the opportunity for Turkey, an important actor in its region, to convey its views and positions to the EU member states on regional and international issues.