Second round of meetings in the framework of the EU regional initiative on the future of Syria

A second round of meetings in the framework of the European Union's Regional Initiative on the future of Syria begins this week

A second round of meetings in the framework of the European Union's Regional Initiative on the future of Syria begins this week. A series of bilateral meetings at the level of senior officials will take place between the European Union and representatives of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, and in the coming days with Turkey and Qatar.

The High Representative/Vice-President, Federica Mogherini, proposed the initiative on the future of Syria with key regional players to the European Union Heads of State and Government at the end of last year, who invited her to build on it. She already had a first round of talks with the Foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar before the end of the year.

The aim of this initiative is to identify common ground on the post-conflict arrangements for Syria, and on reconciliation and reconstruction once a credible political transition is firmly under way. The initiative is conducted in full coordination and support of the intra-Syrian talks that will be held by the UN Special Envoy de Mistura in Geneva in February, and in view of the Brussels Conference on Syria and the region which will be hosted by the European Union later in the spring.

The European Union is strongly committed to contribute politically towards a political transition in Syria as agreed in the UN Security Council Resolutions 2254 and 2118.