Ankara – Syrian issue and the means for a peaceful settlement of the crisis in this country are in pole position during the talks that Foreign Minister Saad Dine El Otmani will hold in Turkey, the Moroccan official told MAP news agency upon his arrival in Ankara on Sunday for a three-day official visit.
“The Syrian issue will, without doubt, be strongly present in the political part of my talks with the Turkish officials,” said El Otmani upon arrival at the Ankara international airport, where he was received by Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Halit Cevik.
“The international community insists on the need to take peaceful means in resolving the Syrian crisis and bring the regime in Syria to accept a political solution,” he said.
According to the minister, “a military intervention in Syria is unacceptable” as it includes “negative” consequences that could affect the whole region.
The Syrian regime, who uses its heavy artillery, must make the decision to end the violence and withdraw the military from towns, said El Otmani, adding that there are initiatives aiming to pile further pressure on the regime in Syria to make it take this “essential decision.”
“With Turkish officials, we will discuss all proposals to support the Syrian people and stop the violence,” he said, before recalling that Morocco and Turkey coordinate their positions on regional and international issues, including stability in the region of North Africa and the support to the Syrian people.
On bilateral relations, El Otmani said his visit aims to make a “general assessment” of political and economic relations between Morocco and Turkey and encourage Turkish companies to invest more in Morocco and to undertake to mutually beneficial partnerships with Moroccan operators at the regional level, particularly in Africa.
He added that his trip will be marked by the signing of several agreements in the field of transport, diplomatic cooperation and SMEs, which “will provide a platform to strengthen relations between the two countries for the welfare of the Moroccan and Turkish peoples.”
El Otmani will hold, on Monday and Tuesday in Ankara, meetings and political consultations at the highest level, notably with President Abdullah Gul, Parliament Speaker, Cemil Cicek, and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
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