Sixth Ankara Forum Meeting Was Held in East Jerusalem

JERUSALEM- Approximately 20 Turkish, Palestinian and Israeli businessmen attended the meeting. On the Turkish side, in addition to the TOBB and TEPAV delegations, the meeting was also attended by the representatives from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Turkish Consulate in Jerusalem. On the Israeli side, it was attended by the representatives of the business organizations that are members of the Israeli Manufacturers' Association. On the Palestinian side, the delegation consisted of chamber representatives from the Gaza Strip, Hebron, Bethlehem and Jerusalem regions. As a result of the meeting, it was decided that in addition to the Gaza activities, Ankara Forum would also start similar activities in the West Bank on a parallel track. The Forum members have also decided to diversify its activities to include issues such as vocational training, capacity building and SME development. Representatives from US Security Coordinator General Keith Dayton's office, World Bank Group, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israeli Ministry of Industry and Trade were also present in the meeting as observers. After the meeting, the Turkish delegation had bilateral meetings with the Israeli President Shimon Peres, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the Quartet's Special Envoy for the Middle East, Tony Blair.