13.05.2003 # 22

A military delegation headed by Turkey's National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul arrived in Ukraine for talks with Ukrainian government officials. Gonul will hold one-on-one talks with Ukraine's Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko and later hold talks with him as part of the Turkish delegation. The talks are expected to focus on issues involving development of bilateral cooperation between the Ukrainian and Turkish defense ministries. On Tuesday, Gonul will meet with President Leonid Kuchma, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, and Foreign Minister Anatolii Zlenko. In Kyiv, the Turkish delegation will visit the National Defense Academy, the Kyiv military academy, and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. On Wednesday, the delegation will visit the Crimea, where Gonul plans to address a seminar entitled "Diversity of Cultures in NATO: strengthening Security Together" in Simferopol, meet with the leader of the Crimean Tartars' Majlis, and attend a briefing by the acting commander of the Ukrainian Naval Forces. Gonul is also scheduled to meet with Crimean Prime Minister Serhii Kunitsyn. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the main areas of military cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey are exchange of experience on reform of their armed forces, cooperation in the area of military education, cooperation under the Partnership for Peace program, and cooperation between the two countries' navies. The prospective areas of development of cooperation are Ukrainian participation in the Turkish tender for supply of tanks, development of joint projects involving modernization of arms and military equipment, cooperation in building patrol and anti-ship boats, and exchange of experience on repair and modernization of ships and arms.
 
 

President Leonid Kuchma and Turkey's National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul discussed Ukraine's bid to become a member of NATO. Gonul expressed Turkish support for Ukraine's bid for NATO membership and stressed the similarities of the foreign policies of Ukraine and Turkey. "Ukraine and Turkey have a lot of common in the area of foreign policy. “We supported and continue to support Ukraine's position within international organizations, and we are interested in seeing Ukraine in NATO as soon as possible," Gonul said. Kuchma and Gonul also discussed bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey and positively appraised the level of cooperation between the two countries. Kuchma also said that Ukraine is ready for broad cooperation with Turkey in the political, economic, and humanitarian spheres. "We are prepared for the broadest cooperation with Turkey, and we are interested in stepping up our interrelations in the political, economic, and humanitarian areas," Kuchma mentioned. Kuchma further said that Ukraine is awaiting Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's visit to Ukraine, which is planned for June 18-20.