Bulgaria’s hosting of the sixth meeting of the International Working Group on sanctions against Syria
22 February 2013 Diplomatic CalendarBulgaria’s hosting of the sixth meeting of the International Working Group on sanctions against Syria
On February 26 2013 at 10am, the sixth meeting of the International Working Group on sanctions against Syria, established within the framework of the “Friends of the Syrian People” group, will be held in the Sredets Hall of the Sheraton Hotel Sofia. It will opened by Minister Nickolay Mladenov. The purpose of the meetings in this format is better co-ordination of international efforts to put pressure on the Syrian regime by imposing targeted sanctions against those responsible for the violence, and by limiting the ability of the regime to continue its repression.
The agenda includes, among other matters, issues related to best practices in the application of sanctions, co-operation between state institutions and the private sector, and the contribution of the IWG to ensuring a swifter recovery of Syria.
At Bulgaria’s invitation, the co-chairs of the sixth meeting will be the UAE and Australia. Close to 40 countries so far have confirmed their participation, including the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Qatar, Kuwait, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
It is expected that the meeting will adopt a final communiqué sending a strong signal that the Assad regime is isolated and the international community strongly opposes violence in Syria.
Previous meetings of the IWG were held in Paris, Washington, Doha, The Hague and Tokyo.
The media are invited to attend the opening of the meeting. Working sessions will be closed to the media.