Top Turkish diplomat, counterparts attend NATO meeting

By Dilan Pamuk

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's top diplomat on Tuesday attended a virtual meeting of NATO foreign ministers, he said on Twitter.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said they talked about several issues, including the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya, and the recent unlawful search of a Turkish-flagged ship.

On Nov. 22, soldiers from a German frigate under the EU’s Operation Irini boarded and inspected Turkish ship the Roseline A, in a move that drew strong condemnation from Ankara.

According to the law of the sea, the consent of the flag state must be obtained before initiating a search of a ship.

Despite warnings, the frigate's soldiers searched the merchant cargo vessel, which was carrying humanitarian aid, food, and paint.

Cavusoglu said he also shared with his counterparts views on Karabakh, where six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended after a Nov. 10 cease-fire.

Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, is a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. But it was under Armenian occupation since the early 1990s.

New clashes in the territory erupted on Sept. 27, and ended with a Russian-brokered truce, which is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan.