The Sixth Turkish-Dutch Bilateral Conference was hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, in Ankara on February 14, 2014. On the occasion of the Conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Mr. Frans Timmermans paid a visit to Turkey.

Speaking at the joint press conference held following the Conference, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu recalled that the 400th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Netherlands was celebrated last year and emphasized that high level reciprocal visits contribute to the development of the deep-rooted relations between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Davutoğlu stated that at the bilateral meeting with his Dutch counterpart, they have exchanged views on the future of the European Union and recent developments in Cyprus as well as Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina and recent developments in the Middle East, particularly in Syria. Referring that Turkey’s accession process has started during the Presidency of the Netherlands in 2004, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said that Turkey is grateful for the support given by the Netherlands to the accession process.

Dutch Foreign Minister Timmermans said that Turkey and Netherlands see eye-to-eye on many issues and within this framework, he is of the opinion that EU too, should work closely with Turkey.

In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed in March 2008 aiming at ensuring the enhancement of Turkish-Dutch bilateral relations and the cooperation between Turkey and the Netherlands, annual Turkish-Dutch Conferences also known as “Wittenburg Conferences” are alternately organized in both countries under the co-chairmanship of the Foreign Ministers.

Within the framework of the Conference which was held for the sixth time this year, in addition to the meetings among the delegations co-chaired by the Foreign Ministers, Working Groups on "Economic Cooperation", "Fight against Transnational Threats", "Migration and Integration" and "The Future of EU and Enlargement" convened with the participation of delegations comprised of high level officials from Ministries of Foreign Affairs and other relevant Ministries and institutions.