Ministers gather in Georgia for defense talks

By Sarp Ozer and Davit Kachkachishvili

BATUMI, Georgia (AA) - Turkey is one of 16 countries attending a South-Eastern Europe Defense Ministerial meeting in Georgia.

National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli is representing Turkey at the two-session meeting, also known as SEDM, in the Black Sea coastal city of Batumi.

Peace and security in the region as well as the NATO integration process will be the main topics of the gathering.

The meeting also aims to contribute in strengthening defense capabilities of the countries in the region, particularly Black Sea countries, Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria told the meeting.

SEDM was established in 1996 during a meeting of regional ministers in Albania and its main principle is to “strengthen understanding and politico-military cooperation in the region in order to enhance the stability and security in South East Europe”.

Turkey, Greece, Italy, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Ukraine, the U.S. plus the hosts Georgia are the member countries of the platform. Moldova is an observer state.