The following statement has been made by a Federal Foreign Office spokesperson:

“Foreign Minister Westerwelle spoke on the telephone today (15 February) with his Turkish counterpart Davutoğlu about the situation in Syria. The talk focused on the first meeting of the Syria contact group scheduled to take place on 24 February in Tunis.

Foreign Minister Westerwelle stressed that the meeting must send a strong message of solidarity and support for the people in Syria and the efforts of the Arab League to solve the crisis. What mattered now, beyond the drafting of a political roadmap for the settlement of the crisis in Syria, was to provide comprehensive humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the people in Syria and to help the refugees.

Both Foreign Ministers came out in favour of a steady adoption of the Syria resolution by the UN General Assembly. The Ministers felt that the UN Security Council remained obliged to address the proposals made by the Arab League aimed at ending the violence.

Both Foreign Ministers agreed to continue their exchange of views on Syria at the upcoming G20 meeting in Mexico (18‑20 February).”