ANKARA - NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson came to Ankara on Thursday as a part of his visits to capital cities of ally and partner countries to bid farewell.
Robertson will hand over the mission to Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on January 1, 2004.
GUL: ROBERTSON CARRIED OUT HIS MISSION SUCCESSFULLY IN A CRITICAL PERIOD

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Thursday that NATO Secretary General George Robertson carried out his mission successfully in the past four years.
Gul and Robertson held a joint news conference.
Pointing out that important developments occurred in international platform concerning the alliance during term in office of Robertson, Gul said Robertson carried out his mission successfully.
Gul said Turkey undertook important roles in this period, recalling that Turkey had commanded International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
Gul said Robertson expended a sincere support to NATO summit scheduled to take place in Istanbul next year.
ROBERTSON: NATO WILL CONTINUE EXPENDING SUPPORT IN CASE TURKEY SENDS SOLDIERS TO IRAQ
Robertson said Turkey was an ally who continued to undertake an extremely important role in defense, stressing that Turkey took place in the front lines particularly in fight against terrorism and instability and in coping with the problems of the 21st century.
Robertson said they would continue to expend support in case dispatch of soldiers to Iraq was in question, stressing that next NATO Secretary General would devote himself to Turkey's defense, and that he would continue to provide Turkey undertake an important role.
Robertson said he called for more support from the Turkish government for Afghanistan.
Pointing out that he called for support from the countries which he visited before coming to Turkey, Robertson said political commitments had to be strengthened with military supports.
Replying to a question, Robertson said no request was made to NATO for dispatch of soldiers to Iraq.
Robertson said NATO should not be considered as an organization which was obliged to send soldiers to problematic regions of the world as a police force.
Robertson said Turkey, like the other NATO countries, was getting prepared to undertake a key role by modernizing its armed forces and by forming a new command structure. He said NATO headquarters in Turkey would continue to be an important center of the alliance.
Gul and Robertson mainly discussed NATO summit that would take place in Istanbul, and efforts to restore stability for restructuring of Afghanistan.
ROBERTSON PAYS FAREWELL VISIT TO SEZER

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer received NATO Secretary Robertson. Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Nabi Sensoy also participated in the meeting.
GONUL RECEIVES ROBERTSON

National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said that he considered end of term in office of NATO Secretary General George Robertson as a big loss.
Stressing that ''the period when Robertson served as NATO Secretary General was very important for NATO,'' Gonul said, ''shape of NATO after cold war era was important. This process was a process of gaining a new NATO in especially Prague.''
Gonul stated that NATO had intervened in many countries from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Kosovo and from Macedonia to Afghanistan in that period.
''How formation of a new force by European countries could be harmonized with NATO came onto agenda in NATO in the same period,'' Gonul said.
Gonul pointed out that Robertson exerted very important efforts and gained many successes and defined end of Robertson's term in mission as a big loss.
Robertson said that Turkey had contributed to many NATO operations and helped decision-making mechanisms.
Turkey was a very important country for Turkey, Robertson noted.
ROBERTSON VISITS CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF OZKOK

Robertson paid a farewell visit to Chief of General Staff Hilmi Ozkok.
The meeting was closed to press.
Robertson's term in office in NATO will end at the end of 2003.
(BRC-AY) 23.10.2003