ANKARA SYMPOSIUM ON BATTLE AGAINST TERRORISM HELD AT HIGH LEVEL

YEREVAN, April 3. /ARKA/. The Armenian side points out a high level of organization of a symposium on battle against terrorism held in Ankara, Turkey, stated Advisor to the RA Minister of Defense, Major-General Hayk Kotanjyan.

“The symposium drew representatives of governmental and nongovernmental organizations from many countries of the world in a professional discussion of urgent problems of battling terrorism,” Kotanjyan said.

Speaking of the Armenian side’s interest in the symposium, he pointed out that before it Armenian and Turkish representatives could only take part in arrangements under NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” program. As regards this symposium, Armenia’s representative participated in in at the invitation of the Chief of the Turkish Joint Staff.

“The symposium, which combined both bilateral and multilateral contacts, afforded Armenia and Turkey, which have no diplomatic relations, the opportunity of direction observation of each other’s activities in one of the most complicated sphere of international cooperation,” Kotanjyan said.

The symposium “Global terrorism and international cooperation” was held in Ankara, Turkey, on March 23-24, 2006.

Reports were made by Chairman of the US Committee of Chiefs Headquarters General Peter Pace, President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzay, US Assistant Secretary of State Tomas O’Connel, Chief of the Joint Staff of the Turkish Armed Froces Hilmi Ozkeok.

Among the participants were representatives of Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Afghanistan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Israel, Kirghizstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mauritania, Macedonia, Morocco, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, USA, Ukraine, France, Croatia, Czechia, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan.