H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, will participate in the International Conference on Somalia which will be chaired by the British Prime Minister and held on 23 February 2012 in London. Representatives of nearly 50 countries and international organizations have been invited to the conference.

Within the framework of the preparations for the conference, a core group consisting of 15 countries, including Turkey, and international organizations has been established. The Core Group comprises Qatar, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, USA, France, Sweden, Italy, Norway, UAE , UK and international organizations such as the UN, the African Union (AU) and the EU.

Within the framework of the preparations for the conference, Turkey has actively participated in and contributed to the works of the Core Group.

The agenda of the Conference includes the topics of political process, security, humanitarian assistance, and stability and recovery in Somalia.

Before the conclusion of the transition period in Somalia in August 2012, the international community will come together at the London Conference to exchange views on the measures to be taken and policies to be conducted in order to reestablish peace and stability in the country.

Turkey has always supported the addressing of the issue of Somalia in international and regional platforms with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problems prevailing in Somalia.

Turkey will organize the Second International Conference on Somalia in June 2012 in Istanbul, in cooperation with the UN.

The outcome of the London Conference will be reviewed at the Istanbul Conference, and the course to be followed by the international community in the post-Transition Period in Somalia will be shaped.