ISTANBUL - National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul left for Brussels on Wednesday to attend NATO Defense Ministers spring term meetings.
Speaking at Ataturk Airport before his departure, Gonul said that he was going to the NATO meeting with representatives from General Staff, National Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry.
Gonul stated that the meeting would start with the dinner to be hosted by Portuguese Defense Minister this evening, adding NATO-EU relations would be analyzed in the dinner.
Sessions on ''Nuclear Planning Group,'' ''Defense Planning Committee,'' North Atlantic Council'' ''NATO-Russia Council,'' ''Europe Atlantic Partnership Council'' will be held during the meeting, he said.
Gonul pointed out that NATO was in a transformation process to meet the threats and risks of the 21st century, adding that issues of ''New NATO Command and Places of Headquarters'' would be discussed during the meeting.
Gonul stressed that threats and risks were intense in the periphery of Turkey, noting that he would voice the demands of Turkey in that context.
Gonul said that Turkey welcomed the decisions taken by NATO to extend support to security and stability of Iraq and Afghanistan, adding that ''we attribute great importance to installation of security and stability, territorial integrity, and political unity of Iraq. We believe that the role which NATO will take in Iraq has to strengthen in Iraq for the latter to reconstruct itself, to live in peace, and become a democratic member of the international society without having social and economic problems. The existing strategic partnership cooperation between NATO and European Union has to further improve within the scope of the joint statement published on December 16, 2002. It will be stressed during the meeting that the two institutions share common values and targets in the Balkans, NATO and EU should have effective and modern military capabilities for their reliability and they should work together within the principles of reciprocity, complementariness, transparency and openness.''
National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul added that after wrapping up his contacts in Brussels, he would proceed to Paris to attend the 2003 International Aviation and Space Fair.
(Öª-AÖ) 11.06.2003