Turkish top diplomat to call for collective NATO action against terrorism

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to travel to Brussels to take part in a meeting of NATO foreign ministers and urge member countries to collectively combat terrorism.

The top diplomat will also hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The two-day meeting starting on Wednesday coincides with the 75th anniversary of NATO's establishment. Issues including general deterrence, counterterrorism, developments in Ukraine, preparations for the Washington Summit, and the current situation after the inclusion of Sweden and Finland into the alliance are expected to be on the agenda.

For his part, Fidan will express Türkiye's expectations regarding the fight against the terrorist group PKK and its offshoots, and underline that it is unacceptable for some NATO members to have relations with terror groups, according to information obtained from diplomatic sources.

The minister will further highlight that members imposing sanctions and restrictions on each other in the defence industry goes against the spirit of the alliance, and NATO's security is adversely impacted by such a situation.

Fidan is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel on the margins of the meeting.