U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria next week to meet with leaders and attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, the State Department announced. Spokesman Sean McCormack said Rice's trip will begin April 24 and continue through April 28. “In Turkey and Greece, she will review our shared interests with these strategic partners, including advancing democracy and peace in the broader Middle East and beyond, combating terrorism, Cyprus and Turkey's EU (European Union) accession, and Eurasian energy security,” McCormack told reporters. “In Bulgaria, Secretary Rice is expected to sign a defense cooperation agreement and discuss bilateral and regional issues,” McCormack said. Rice also is scheduled to participate Friday in the meeting in Sofia of NATO foreign ministers to discuss preparations for the NATO summit in Riga, Latvia in November, he said.
