UPDATE - Turkish foreign minister discusses Afghanistan with Italian, Dutch counterparts

UPDATES WITH TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER'S MEETING WITH DUTCH COUNTERPART; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Beyza Binnur Donmez and Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed Libya and Afghanistan on Tuesday with his Italian and Dutch counterparts, Luigi Di Maio and Ben Knapen, separately, in Latvia's capital Riga.

"Discussed our relations and regional issues particularly Libya & Afghanistan," Cavusoglu tweeted before a NATO foreign ministers meeting.

The two-day meeting is expected to focus on Russia following a recent military buildup by Moscow near the Ukrainian border, as well as the security situation in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Georgia.

Ministers will also discuss NATO's role in promoting stability and security in the Western Balkans region amid rising tensions between Serbia and Kosovo and the separatist ambitions in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serb entity, the Republika Srpska.

The Turkish foreign minister also talked with his Dutch counterpart Knapen in a separate meeting in the Latvian capital.

”In Riga, discussed our economic-commercial relations and the recent developments in Afghanistan with my Dutch colleague Ben Knapen,” said Cavusoglu on Twitter.