Türkiye protecting its borders under UN self-defence law: Akar

Türkiye carries out cross-border operations against terrorists with the right to self-defence under the relevant UN article, the nation’s defence minister has said.

"The terrorist organisation YPG/PKK targets Türkiye's peace and security. For the protection of our country and borders, we use our right to self-defence arising from Article 51 of the UN Charter. In doing so, it is out of question to get permission from anyone," Hulusi Akar told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

Türkiye expects the allies cut all ties with the terrorist organizations and show sincere solidarity and cooperation with Ankara in its fight against terrorism, he said.

"Recognised as a terrorist organisation by the EU, NATO and the US, the PKK operates under different names to mislead the international community. The key point is that the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, are one and the same organization," stressed the defence chief.

Türkiye has long criticised the US support for the terrorist PKK and its offshoot in Syria, known as the YPG. While Washington claims it fights Daesh terrorists with the help of its YPG/PKK allies, Ankara says using one terror group to fight another makes no sense.

Akar said Türkiye is the only country fighting Daesh in the field. Türkiye also became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist organization in 2013.

"We deported 9,500 foreign terrorists from Türkiye and prevented more than 100,000 from entering our country," he said.

READ MORE: Türkiye criticises Belgium, demands action against PKK terror groups

 'Active diplomacy'

Turning to the ongoing Russia- Ukraine war, Akar said Türkiye has been conducting "active diplomacy" since the start of the war in February.

"In particular, we focused on an urgent, at least humanitarian, cease-fire and a diplomatic solution ... Our aim is to continue the Istanbul process, where the two sides came together for the first time after the start of the conflict," he added.

Türkiye fully supports Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity, the minister reiterated.

Türkiye-Italy cooperation

About Türkiye's recent rise in the defence industry, Akar said: "Undoubtedly, having advanced national defence capabilities also increases NATO's strength. It is clear that the stronger our forces as allies are, the stronger NATO will be collectively."

That is why, he said, Türkiye attaches great importance to cooperation in defence technology and product development with its allies, including Italy.

"However, unfortunately, we are faced with unfair restrictions imposed by some of our allies on defence industry cooperation, which negatively affects not only Türkiye but also the alliance. We expect all these restrictions to be lifted," he added.

Regarding the relations with Italy, Akar said the bilateral cooperation are developing day by day in almost every field such as defence, trade, education, and health.

"We definitely want to accelerate the SAMP-T air defence system project. In addition, field-tested Turkish defence industry products offer new opportunities for bilateral cooperation," he added.

READ MORE: Türkiye, France, Italy discuss joint missile defence system