WASHINGTON - Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday that Turkey, especially after September 11 attacks, attributed very much importance to activities for providing air transportation security against every type of terror.
Yildirim attended Regional Aviation Security and Flight Safety Summit which was held with the participation of transportation ministers of Balkan countries and Turkey in Washington and he made an opening remark in the meetings that were closed to press.
Yildirim said in his speech that he believed that necessary measures should be taken to provide air transportation security against every type of terror as the minister of a country which was affected from terrorist activities for long years and lost more than 30 thousand people due to those activities. He added that activities of Turkey would continue to prevent terrorist attacks not only in transportation field, but also in every field.
Yildirim, who attended the meetings as the guest of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, said that the contribution of such meetings to civil aviation could not be discussed.
Emphasizing that Turkish Airlines (THY) was one of the first airlines which was permitted to fly to the United States after September 11 attacks, Yildirim said, ''I think this means that security standards which are implemented in our country are considered equivalent with the standards implemented in the United States.''
Yildirim will attend the summit throughout this week. He is expected to depart from Washington on Saturday.
(GC-AÖ) 09.09.2003