Turkish, Croatian ministers discuss security, migration

By Muhammed Boztepe

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish and Croatian interior ministers on Tuesday discussed cooperation on security issues and fight against terror, said Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Soylu and Croatian counterpart Davor Bozinovic met in Ankara and spoke to reporters after the meeting.

The Turkish minister said he discussed cooperation on security issues, fight against terror, irregular migration, anti-narcotics efforts and bilateral relations with his counterpart.

"In today’s meeting, we had the chance to review our bilateral relations with Croatia in a comprehensive way," Soylu said.

He expressed hope that Croatia will consider carefully the "very important" issues for Turkey mentioned at the meeting, referring to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Bozinovic, for his part, said there are around 4 million Syrians living in Turkey and he thanked and praised Turkey for hosting them.

He said that migration will continue to be one of the most important problems that should be addressed in the following period.