Yes, Yes, Yes.....

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Athens News Agency

June 8, 2002

 

Defense minister attends NATO meeting; meets Armenian counterpart

BRUSSELS, 08/06/2002 (ANA - B. Demiris)

 

Greece would actively assist in upgrading military ties between NATO

and the Ukraine through the bilateral agreements it had already

signed with the Ukraine, Greek Defense Minister Yiannos Papantoniou

said on Friday.

The Greek minister was speaking after a NATO defense ministers

meeting that decided to upgrade NATO-Ukraine relations by promoting

greater military cooperation.

 

Papantoniou said the NATO member-states had agreed to play a more

active role in restructuring the Ukrainian armed forces, providing

know-how and training Ukrainian officers.

 

Commenting on the recently-signed accord between NATO and Russia and

Thursday's historic first session in which Russia participated on the

NATO Council on an equal basis with NATO member-states for the first

time, Papantoniou said that Greece was among the countries that had

always been in favor of Russia's effective membership of NATO, while

noting that dividing lines created tensions that undermined European

safety.

 

He added that Greece supported the NATO entry of all states in the

Balkans and in central and Eastern Europe, so as to create a single

defense area without dividing lines and gaps.

 

On the sidelines of the Council, Papantoniou met his Armenian

counterpart Serzhik Sarkisyan, with whom he discussed further

boosting ties between Greece and Armenia in the defense sector.

 

The Greek minister said that defense cooperation between Greece and

Armenia was very highly developed - much more than with any other

Black Sea country - due to the strong ties of friendship between the

Greek and Armenian peoples and their common historical roots.

 

Asked to comment on an issue whipped up by Turkey regarding the

renaming of the Bosphorus Straits, Papantoniou denied that this was

being discussed within NATO's military arm, which was monitored by

his ministry.

 

''There is no such issue and all aspects of this are being dealt with

by the foreign ministry,'' he said.

 

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I copyed and passed that from Groong News.

If they are not happy with that they may sue me!