The
Arab-Turkish CooperationForum was launched following the Memorandum of
Understanding signed by the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and
the Turkish Foreign Minister on 22 September 2004, in New York, on the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and the Framework Agreement
for the Arab-Turkish Forum signed in
Istanbul on 2November 2007, which included cooperation in the areas of
politics, security, economy, culture, social development and the dialogue
between civilizations.
Consequently, the first session of the Turkish-Arab
Cooperation Forum took place in Istanbul in October 2008. An agreement was also
signed on the sideline of the Forum to establish an Arab League Mission in
Ankara. Since that date, sessions have been periodically held each year at the
level of Arab and Turkish foreign ministers (Istanbul 2008, Damascus 2009,
Istanbul 2010, Rabat 2011, Istanbul 2012). The sixth session, however, which
was planned to be held in Khartoum in 2013, did not convene due to the
prevailing circumstances in the region. The League Council Resolution No. 7758
dated 9 March 2014 called for pursuing
the necessary communication for
holding this session.
During the Forum’s fourth session in 2011, and in the
context of consolidating the cooperation in various fields between Turkey and
the Arab States, the "Rabat Initiative for a Comprehensive and Sustainable
Arab-Turkish Partnership" was adopted. The Initiative comprises an
executive program including several activities, seminars and workshops in
various fields.
