White House Statement on the Vice President's Meeting With Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilter Turkmen of Turkey

Vice President Bush today met with Ilter Turkmen, the Foreign Minister of Turkey, who has come to the United States at the invitation of Secretary Haig. The meeting included senior officials from both Turkey and the United States Government.

The Vice President and the Foreign Minister reviewed in a cordial way a number of bilateral and international issues. They discussed in particular the need for all NATO allies to continue concerted efforts to enhance their defense posture in response to existing threats in Southwest Asia and Europe. The Vice President also noted with satisfaction Turkish efforts to improve bilateral relations with Greece and Turkish support for the ongoing intercommunal talks on Cyprus.

The Vice President took special note of the excellent state of the Turkish-American relationship and the significance of this year, which marks the centennial of the birth of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.