07.05.2003 # 20

UKRAINE'S MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ZLENKO ARRIVES IN ANKARA

ANKARA - Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatoliy Zlenko arrived in Ankara on Wednesday as the official guest of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul to hold official contacts. Zlenko will meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today. He will meet with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Gul on Thursday. Relations between two countries will be taken up in every aspect and sides will exchange views to develop existing cooperation opportunities during the meetings. Zlenko will roceed to southern Antalya province to attend the opening ceremony of Ukraine's honorary consulate after сompleting his Ankara visit.
 
 

Zlenko And Prime Minister Of Turkey Erdogan Discuss Post-War Situation Around Iraq
 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Erdogan discussed a post-war situation around Iraq. The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Ukrainian News of this matter. "Problems of security in the Eurasian region took the main position on the negotiations, including that in Iraq," reads the statement. The Prime Minister of Turkey positively assessed Ukraine's striving for Euro-Atlantic integration as a significant contribution to the regional security. In the Prime Minister's words, Turkey highly estimates Ukraine's efforts in economic and political integration of the Crimean Tatars into Ukrainian society. Zlenko and Erdogan discussed perspectives of development of the economic cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey and made a statement of intentions to develop cooperation in the sphere of tourism and high technologies. They also stated intentions to increase bilateral trade to the level of USD 2 billion. As Ukrainian News earlier reported, together with the US, Great Britain and other countries, Ukraine took part in the coalition for immediate disarmament of Iraq. The US and Great Britain held a military operation against Iraq, which they had accused of support for the world terrorism and creation of weapons of mass destruction. Turkey had refused to provide its territory to the US and Great Britain to hold the operation against Iraq.