Turkish army chief, EU minister to attend Canada forum

Turkey's chief of general staff and EU affairs minister will head to Canada to participate in the Halifax International Security Forum this weekend, according to a source in the EU Affairs' Ministry.

The forum will begin on Friday and will last until Sunday afternoon, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

According to Halifax International Security Forum's website, the independent, non-profit and non-partisan organization based in Washington D.C. "is dedicated to strengthening strategic cooperation among democracies and is recognized as the leading gathering of democratic leaders committed to global security and prosperity".

"Setting the security agenda each November for the coming calendar year, the forum convenes relevant and key leaders in an unscripted, intimate atmosphere over three days in Halifax, Nova Scotia," the website said.

"The forum brings together individuals on the ground who face consequential local threats, writers who challenge and influence the world's thinking on security, and decision-makers who make the tough choices."

It added the community that meets at Halifax represents more than 91 countries, but was limited to 300 participants.

The first of the annual meetings of the forum was held back in 2009, where the main topic was "global security issues post U.S. elections".

This year's forum will have topics such as "identifying our shared strategic purpose as democracies"; exploring "whether our desire for peace, our economic ambitions, or our core principles take priority"; and dangers of nuclear confrontation etc.