Turkish defense chief attends extraordinary NATO meeting

By Sarp Ozer

BRUSSELS (AA) - Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar attended an extraordinary meeting of NATO defense ministers Wednesday at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

He also held a series of bilateral meetings with senior military and civilian defense officials from NATO countries.

Having earlier met with Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand, Akar also met with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos. The two ministers agreed that a fourth bilateral meeting on confidence building measures should be held in the Turkish capital Ankara as soon as possible.

During the meeting, the importance of international law and focusing on a positive agenda and its possible contributions to bilateral relations and regional economic growth were also addressed.

Separately, Akar met with Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks to discuss bilateral and NATO-wide defense and security ties and cooperation.

In addition, during his meeting with French Defense Minister Florence Parly, Akar emphasized the importance of removing the restrictions in the field of the defense industry and increasing military training cooperation activities.

Views were also exchanged on bilateral, regional and defense and security issues, especially on developments in Ukraine.

Moreover, Akar held talks with Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren at NATO headquarters.

He also met with British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. The two defense chiefs discussed developments in Ukraine as well as bilateral, regional and defense and security issues.​​​​​​​

The Turkish minister also met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. They discussed the latest developments in Ukraine as well as bilateral, regional, and defense and security issues. Akar and Austin emphasized the importance of further increasing cooperation in the defense industry and military education.