Turkey to host regional summit in April on counter-ISIS operations
Technical talks for the formation of a joint regional operation center against ISIS have begun as efforts to create an alternative to US-led coalition Syrian Democratic Forces against the Islamic State take shape.
ANKARA — Turkey will host a regional summit next month as Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey advance plans for a joint operation center to combat the Islamic State, with technical discussions via diplomats already underway, according to Turkish and Arab sources.
The decision to hold the next summit in Turkey follows a meeting of foreign and defense ministers, along with intelligence chiefs, in Amman on Sunday. An official Turkish source and an Arab diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al-Monitor that the summit is scheduled for next month.
A key outcome of the Amman summit was the agreement to establish the joint operation center to fight against ISIS, with technical discussions already underway, the Turkish source added.
“The participants agreed to launch a joint operation center for cooperation and coordination to fight ISIS/Daesh, to support existing international efforts aimed at eradicating this organization,” read the joint statement issued after the Amman summit.
