SOFIA - National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said on Friday that all countries had to be in cooperation in fight with international terrorism, adding that ''the most important issue that threatens our common security is international terrorism.''
The international conference on ''shaping a common security agenda for Southeast Europe, new approaches and shared responsibilities'' started in Sofia, Bulgaria the same day.
Addressing the conference, National Defense Minister Gonul, who represents Turkey in the meeting, said that the conference was important for regional countries in determining the measures that were necessary to install lasting peace and stability in Southeast Europe and in improvement of their cooperation.
Speaking to A.A correspondent, Gonul said that the most important issue that threatened common security was international terrorism, adding ''we focus on that issue in a sensitive way because we think that terrorism is the most important threat that disturbs order. Terrorism uses all illegal ways, particularly smuggling to find sources to itself.''
Vecdi Gonul stressed that all countries had to be in close cooperation against international terrorism.
Gonul had tete-a-tete meetings with Croatian Defense Minister Zeljka Antunovic and Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov on the first day of the conference.
Antunovic asked Turkey to support Croatia's accession to NATO in her meeting with Gonul.
Following the meeting, Gonul said that there were good relations between Turkey and Croatia and stated that he wanted those relations to be further improved.
Recalling that Croatia was not included in the list of countries which were invited to membership to NATO in the summit of NATO in Prague, Gonul said, ''Croatia expects to be invited to membership to NATO at the summit of NATO which will be held in Istanbul. Antunovic asked support from Turkey on this issue. We said that Turkey, as a friendly country, always extended support to Croatia and it will continue to support this country.''
The international conference will end on Saturday. Gonul will also deliver a speech at the conference tomorrow.
(Öª-EÖ-AÖ) 05.09.2003