Turkey set to host three-way talks on Balkans

The trilateral gatherings first began in October 2009 on the sidelines of the Southeastern European countries’ meeting in Istanbul. The last meeting took place in Belgrade on Jan. 15.

The three foreign ministers will review developments in the Balkans with a particular focus on Bosnia and will discuss concrete steps planned for the upcoming period, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a written statement over the weekend. The foreign ministers of Bosnia and Serbia will also meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“Turkey places a priority on the Balkans in its foreign policy and attributes a special importance to restoring permanent peace and stability in the region,” the ministry said.

Ankara is concerned with what it calls the "wrong signals" being delivered by the international community to Bosnia with NATO recently failing to extend an invitation to the Balkan country to join the Membership Action Plan. The European Union lifted visa restrictions for Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro but kept Bosnia and Albania outside.

In an effort to help resolve the political crisis facing the country, diplomatic efforts led by Turkey involve two separate trilateral mechanisms: one between Turkey, Bosnia and Serbia and the other between Turkey, Bosnia and Croatia.

/Hurriyet Daily News/