Akar: Defence wide-ranging, can't just be carried out via military means

Türkiye's Defence Chief Hulusi Akar has said the defence of a country is wide-ranging and cannot just be carried out through military means.

Speaking at the 13th Ambassadors Conference in Ankara on Tuesday, Akar said factors such as "economic security, cultural economy and cultural security" are also important for defence.

Türkiye aims to protect its borders from terrorist organisations via its cross-border operations and has "no interest in anyone's land," Akar added.

Akar said Ankara has "fulfilled all responsibilities" in regards to agreements signed with Russia and the United States on eliminating terrorists from northern Syria.

"Although, we have undertaken and fulfilled all responsibilities on our part, our interlocutors have failed to fulfil the promises," said Akar.

The defence chief said his country also fulfils its duties at NATO in full and expects the same from the 30-member military alliance.

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Commenting on the landmark Ukraine grain export deal brokered by Türkiye and the UN, Akar said Ankara expects that the agreement continues to be implemented without interruptions.

"The current deal is on exporting grain from Ukrainian ports, but talks are ongoing for Russian ports," he added.

On relations with Athens, Akar said despite Greece’s moves against Türkiye, Ankara maintains calls for dialogue and negotiation. He said Greece creates a lot of fake news against Türkiye.

The Turkish minister also talked about the F-16 deal with Washington, stressing that reports coming from the US claim prerequisites given by Congress might be amended in the Senate.

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