Tampere, Finland - A two-day foreign ministers' meeting for EU and Mediterranean countries under the Euromed cooperation process is to begin in the Finnish city of Tampere on Monday.

Erkki Tuomioja and Abdullah Gul, the foreign ministers of Finland and Turkey respectively, are to discuss the Cyprus dispute, which is casting a shadow on Turkey's EU accession talks. Mr Tuomioja is to hold talks with the Cypriot foreign minister, Georgios Lillikas.

The situation in the Middle East is also to be discussed at the meeting, even though the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not actually on Euromed's agenda.

In addition to the 25 EU member states and Bulgaria and Romania, which will join the bloc next year, a dozen Middle Eastern and North African countries are to attend the meeting.

Source (STT)