Statement by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Expanded Extraordinary Meeting of OIC Executive Committee, 12 August 2014, Jeddah Statement by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu at the Meeting of Turkey-CARICOM Consultation and Cooperation Mechanism, 18 July 2014, İstanbul Speech of H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Conference on “International Development Cooperation: Trends and Emerging Opportunities -Perspectives of the New Actors”, 20 June 2014, Istanbul Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the 41st Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, 18 June 2014, Jeddah Speech Delivered by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu at the Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, 28 May 2014, Algeria Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 4th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, 21 May 2014, Shanghai Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Meeting of Group of Friends of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, 2 April 2014, New York Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the OIC Executive Committee Meeting on the Latest Developments in the Central African Republic, 20 February 2014, Jeddah Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Geneva II Conference, Montreux, 22 January 2014 Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the 16th Session of the D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers, 19 December 2013, Islamabad Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 29th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, 12 December 2013, Yerevan Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 21st Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization, 26 November 2013, Tehran Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Member States, 25 November 2013, Manama Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the High Level Segment Meeting During the 64th Excom Meeting of UNHCR, Geneva, 30 September 2013 Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Group of Friends Ministerial Meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations, 27 September 2013, New York Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the meeting entitled “LDC Graduation: The Way Towards MDG Acceleration, Sustainable Development and Structural Transformation”, 27 September 2013, New York Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum Opening Speech by H.E. Ahmet Davutoglu Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, 27 September 2013, New York Address by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 22nd Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, İstanbul, 29 June 2013 Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the 28th Ministerial Meeting of BSEC, 21 June 2013, Odessa Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the OIC Donor Conference in Support of The City of Al-Quds, Baku, Azerbaijan, 11 June 2013 Speech delivered by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Mali, 13 May 2013, Jeddah Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Somalia Conference, 7 May 2013, London Address by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Third Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process, 26 April 2013, Almaty Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the Third Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention, 9 April 2013, The Hague Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 24th Summit Meeting of the League of Arab States, 26 March 2013, Doha Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, in the University of London School of Economics and Political Science, 7 March 2013, London Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the UN Human Rights Council, 25 February 2013, Geneva Statement by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Ministerial Meeting Preparatory to the Twelfth Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, 4 February 2013, Cairo Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the Ministerial Meeting of BSEC,15 December 2012, İstanbul Opening Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, 14 December 2012, Abu Dhabi
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  5. Speech Delivered by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Opening Session of the Ministerial Conference of the İstanbul Process, 14 June 2012, Kabul
Speech Delivered by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Opening Session of the Kabul Ministerial Conference of the İstanbul Process, 14 June 2012, Kabul

H.E. President Karzai,

Distinguished Minister Resul,

Honourable Ministers,

Secretary Generals,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

 

Let me start first by expressing my gratitude to H.E. Hamid Karzai for honoring our conference with his presence.

 

It is a pleasure to be here in Kabul today and to co-chair the Follow-up Conference of the Istanbul Process which was initiated about eight months ago in Istanbul, with a vision for a better future for our region.

 

 I would like to thank brother Zalmay Resul and his able team led by First Deputy Minister Jawid Ludin for the hard work they have carried out in taking forward the Process, including the preparation of the concept paper and hosting preparatory meetings in Kabul. I would also express my gratitude to our Turkmen brothers for hosting a meeting of the Senior Officials in Ashgabad. 

 

 We are indeed very content to see that our neighbors and friends are sharing this regional cooperation vision in a spirit of regional ownership. We have come a long way since the Kabul Declaration on Good Neighborly Relations of 2002 where the region and Afghanistan’s neighbours voiced their desire for peace and stability for the first time.

 

Distinguished Participants,

 

Our region has unique characteristics. It is rich in terms of human resources, cultural heritage as well as economic potential. The history and the future of the countries in the region are intertwined. Indeed, Afghanistan is situated at the Heart of Asia, so that its surrounding region could not be secure and wealthy without a safe, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan.

 

 We strongly believe that the positive energy that has been mobilized through the Istanbul Process will enhance the existing efforts for a stable and prosperous region.

 

In this era in which problems have gained a transboundary nature, we all suffer from complex challenges which cannot be dealt by any single country. These problems can only be overcome through regional ownership and cooperation. We have common interests in countering terrorism, extremism and narcotics. The success or failure of one regional country in standing up to these and other challenges inevitably creates impact on other regional countries. That is why we need ever developing regional cooperation.

 

Distinguished Participants,

 

Developments since the Istanbul Conference in November 2011 have been very encouraging.  This meeting will become a milestone in our collective efforts when the first set of the confidence building measures, namely those seven selected to be implemented, are endorsed today.

            

However, we should also bear in mind that the Istanbul Process is not only about the technical implementation of confidence building measures. It has been and should continue to be a consultation forum, which provides us a valuable opportunity for enhanced political dialogue. 

 

I wholeheartedly believe that gathering around a table for discussion, looking each other in the eye, is in itself a confidence building measure.

 

Moreover, the Process could serve as a platform for creating new synergies among various existing regional efforts with a view to achieving a more effective cooperation in the security, economic, cultural, education and legal fields, placing Afghanistan at its core.

 

As such, with our common efforts, the developing Istanbul process will consolidate its place as a unique platform. Given its comprehensive membership, the Istanbul Process, brings the Heart of Asia countries together with regional organizations, the United Nations and other interested partners as supporters; all of which have sincere desire to contribute to the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan and its surrounding regions in a constructive manner.

 

In this journey, Turkey will of course continue to support Afghanistan in leading this process. Regional cooperation, in fact, is one of the priorities of the Turkish foreign policy. This vision is also reflected in our Trilateral Summit Process with two brotherly countries Afghanistan and Pakistan.

 

Distinguished participants,

 

Feeling myself in my second home, I would like to thank our Afghan brothers who kindly suggested me to co-chair this important conference. It is a distinct pleasure for me to see such a high-level participation, pledging to take forward the Istanbul Process with sincere intentions. We are confident that the Process will continue in the same spirit of dialogue, cooperation and dedication in the years to follow.

Thank you.