Turkish defense chief arrives at NATO headquarters in Brussels

By Sarp Ozer

BRUSSELS (AA) - The Turkish defense chief on Wednesday arrived at the NATO headquarters in Brussels to attend the defense ministers’ meeting to be chaired by the secretary-general of the alliance.

Hulusi Akar gathered with Basat Ozturk, Türkiye’s permanent representative to NATO, and other Turkish officials and commented on the Ankara government’s contributions to the alliance.

The international community is going through a sensitive period due to various reasons, Akar said, stressing the significance of continuing to work with greater sensitivity in the context of NATO activities and Türkiye's defense and security.

On his way to the headquarters, Akar had a brief talk with Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine's defense minister, who is expected to attend a section of the NATO meeting on invitation.

Akar also met with his Georgian counterpart Juansher Burchuladze ahead of the NATO meeting. The two defense chiefs discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged ideas on regional security in Caucasia and the Black Sea.

The participants of the two-day meeting include defense chiefs of member states and partners, including Finland, Georgia, Sweden, Ukraine, and the EU.

* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas in Ankara