Ministerial meeting entitled "Syria: Supporting Moderate Voices"
25 September 2014 News
On 24 September, Minister Daniel Mitov participated in a ministerial meeting on "Syria: Supporting Moderate Voices" on the sidelines of the 69th session of the UNGA. British Foreign Secretary co-hosted the event together with the chief diplomats of the United States, France, Germany and Turkey. The meeting was also attended by Syrian National Coalition President Hadi al-Bahra and was carried out with the active involvement of a number of Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Participants clearly stated that there should be a distinction between radical and moderate opposition in Syria. The true alternative to radical Islamists is not in the regime of Bashar al-Assad, whose policies created the conditions for the emergence of radical organizations such as Islamic State, but with the moderate Syrian opposition in the face of the Syrian National Council. He pleaded for support for the moderate opposition, as well as for the stabilization of Syria and the region. Speakers reaffirmed their support for the work of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and for finding a solution in accordance with the Geneva road map, known as the Geneva Communique.
Germany announced that on 28 October it will organize an international conference to raise funds for the countries most affected by the refugee crisis. Significant financial contributions were announced by the US, UK and Japan.
US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that more than fifty countries have joined the fight against "Islamic state." He welcomed any contribution to the joint efforts - military, financial and political.
The need for concerted efforts in the fight against Islamic State was the main topic of the bilateral talks of Minister Daniel Mitov and Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. They discussed the current developments of the situation in Iraq and Minister al-Jaafari said that the Islamic State presents a challenge not only to the legitimate Iraqi government, but also to the security of a number of countries in the Middle East and elsewhere.
The two ministers shared the view that the international community should make an active commitment to resolving the crisis. Minister Daniel Mitov said Bulgaria has decided to provide military aid to the Iraqi government. His counterpart thanked for the support, saying that his government highly appreciates it.