Statements by U.S. Officilas

Remarks by General Peter Pace Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Following a Meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan at the Prime Ministry

Ankara, March 23, 2006

General Pace: Thank you very much for waiting and giving me an opportunity to talk through you to your audiences.  I am General Pete Pace.  I am the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and I’m here with the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Mr. Ross Wilson.  I just had the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister, and I appreciated deeply the time that he set aside to allow me to meet with him and discuss issues important to both of our countries.  I also had the privilege of meeting with General Ozkok today, and we had a very good dialogue as well.  I came to Turkey for two reasons. The first is to listen and learn from the leadership here about the ways that the U.S. military can be better partners with the Turkish military. The second reason is to attend the counter-terrorism conference that is going on today and tomorrow, where many nations are coming together to share ideas and concerns about the threat that faces us all, and to figure out ways that we can cooperate together to better the lives of all of our citizens.  The meetings today for me were very, very positive and productive, and I look forward to continuing tomorrow. Thank you.