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  3. Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu co-chaired the meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation.
Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu co-chaired the meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation.
Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu co-chaired the meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu who is in New York for the 69th UN General Assemby co-chaired the Ministerial breakfast meeting of the Group of Friends of Mediation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Erkki Tuomioja.

Member countries of the group as well as representatives from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and African Union attended the meeting.

Addressing the representatives attending the meeting, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu indicated that owing to the mediation activities initiated with Finland, peace initiative has gradually increased since 2010; and with the participation of Denmark, Iraq and Algeria, the number of group members has reached 48; namely 40 countries and 8 regional organizations.

Touching upon the regional developments, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu emphasized that the situation in Syria is getting worse every day. Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu stated that the Syrian regime killed more than 200 thousand people and ISIL played a role in destabilizing the region. Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu also stressed that Turkey welcomes the political transition in Iraq.

Referring to the problems in Africa, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said that Sudan and South Sudan issues are sensitive and mediation might play an important role in the long term along with the economic steps to be taken in the region. Stating that Turkish soldiers are present in Somalia for peace-keeping purposes, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu explained Turkey’s humanitarian aid activities in the region including the construction of a hospital.

Within the framework of his contacts in New York, Foreign Minister Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith, Deputy Prime Minister of Laos, Mr. Carlos Morales, Foreign Minister of Guatemala, Mr. Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of People’s Republic of China, Mr. Gonzales Sanzi, Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Mr. K Shanmugam, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice of Singapore, Mr. Zarar Ahmad Osmani, Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Mr. Sartaj Aziz, National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Mohamed Osman, Foreign Minister of Eritrea, Mr. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia and Mr. Espen B. Eide, United Nations Special Adviser on Cyprus.