Bildt, whose country has held the rotating term presidency of the European Union since July, posted on his blog on Aug. 24 after he attended an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) hosted by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in honor of participants of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan group (FoDP) meeting in İstanbul.
“For me it was important not least to express our strong support for the important efforts we currently see in the Kurdish question -- especially in light of the sometimes merciless nationalist opposition they now face. But we had a little time to also discuss the challenges in the South Caucasus, in the case of Cyprus and the Balkans. And of course, situations in both Iran and Iraq,” Bildt wrote on his blog.
In a post titled “Intensive in Istanbul,” Bildt also wrote: “There's always plenty to discuss when you come here. At this meeting, it is Pakistan which is at the center. It is important that we do what we can to give it democratic development assistance.
Tomorrow we will discuss in more detail the Malakand program. It is about reconstruction and resettlement after the fighting against various Taliban factions in the border regions with Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said Bildt and Davutoğlu talked about the possibility of opening of new negotiation chapters during the Swedish term presidency of the EU, which will last through the end of this year. The two ministers also touched upon the Cyprus issue as well.
