MADRID - The North Atlantic Council Meeting held within the framework of the Spring Term Meetings of the NATO Foreign Ministers started in Spanish capital Madrid on Tuesday.
Turkey is represented by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul in the meetings which will last for two days.
Five separate sessions will be held within the framework of the spring term meetings.
Gul will meet with NATO Secretary General George Robertson, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen, Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayet Quliyev and Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan.
The main agenda of the Madrid meeting is the future of the Alliance. Ensuring stability in Iraq, role of NATO in reconstruction of Iraq, and NATO's undertaking responsibility of International Security Assistance Force-4 in Afghanistan will be high on agenda of the meeting.
A joint declaration is foreseen to be issued at the end of the meetings.
Issues such as strategic partnership between NATO and the European Union (EU) under cooperation in Iraq and the Balkans; NATO's relations with Ukraine; development of cooperation between NATO and the Russian Federation; progress of Partnership for Peace and Mediterranean Dialogue since Prague Summit; contributions of Russia, Ukraine and other partners and Mediterranean Dialogue countries to the Alliance's fight against existing threats; and contributions of countries, which are invited to join NATO next year; will also be assessed during the meeting.
Turkey supports NATO's undertaking an active role in fight against terrorism. NATO will undertake command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in June and act in a region except for Europe for the first time in its history.
Ankara defends that NATO could play a more influential role in Iraq.
(BRC) 03.06.2003