Turkish president hails NATO chief's 'objective evaluations'

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish president on Saturday hailed the NATO secretary-general's comments regarding the Euro-Atlantic security and defense matters.

“We would like to thank the NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg for his objective evaluations on Euro-Atlantic security and defence matters,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.

“Turkey, as a NATO ally, will continue to fulfil all its responsibilities and serve global peace and security,” he added.

Earlier, Stoltenberg said European flanks are defended by non-EU countries, the US, Canada, and the UK in the north and Turkey in the south.

He said in the southeast, non-EU member Turkey sits on the borders with Syria and Iraq, and added that it is "extremely important in the fight against Daesh and international terrorism."

Turkey has continued its struggle against the Daesh terror group, also known as ISIS, in 2020.

Turkish security forces maintained pressure on the group with operations in the country and on its borders.

According to figures compiled by Anadolu Agency, authorities detained 2,343 suspects, including so-called senior members of the group, seizing large amounts of documents, weapons, and ammunition.