ISTANBUL - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said improvement of cooperation with the United States and maintenance of active role within NATO are issues having vital importance for Turkey.
Taking the floor at the War Academies Conference, Sezer said terrorism posed a serious threat today more than any time, and noted that attacks in the United States on September 11th, and attacks which took place in Istanbul, Madrid, Bali, Beslan and various regions of the world showed the dimensions which terrorism could reach and once again revealed the importance of cooperation among countries in fight against terrorism.
Sezer said Turkey, which met the most merciless methods of terrorism since 1970's and lost tens of thousands of its citizens in terrorism acts for years launched calls to international community for formation of legal framework for the measures that could be taken against terrorism.
Sezer said unity of powers against terrorism should be the joint goal of humanity.
''It is obvious that opposing terrorism could not only be with weapons. Overcoming hopelessness is the condition to overcome terrorism. Terrorism will have less chance to develop at a world where deficiencies are overcome on the issue and where violence is not encouraged,'' he noted.
Sezer said, ''democracy, which is the only kind of management appropriate to humanity honor, global peace and universal values including the cooperation should lead us.''
TURKEY-US RELATIONS
President Sezer said Turkey always gave high priority to maintenance of transatlantic relations in a solid way, and noted that, ''improvement of cooperation with the United States and maintenance of active role within NATO are issues having vital importance for Turkey.
Sezer said Turkish-US relations always targeted continuation of global peace, stability and prosperity, adding that, ''Turkey and the United States act in solidarity to prevent crises, fight against terrorism, and preventing spreading of weapons of mass destruction.
President Sezer reiterated that Turkish Armed Forces, which took over command of International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan made a very valuable contribution to the diplomatic activities of Turkey on the way to peace and cooperation.