ISTANBUL
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler on Wednesday held diplomatic meetings in Brussels, where he is attending a NATO defense ministers meeting.
Guler met with UK Defense Secretary John Healey as part of his bilateral talks in Brussels, according to a National Defense Ministry post on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
He later held a trilateral meeting at NATO headquarters with Romanian Defense Minister Liviu-Ionut Mosteanu and Atanas Zapryanov, Bulgaria’s defense minister.
Guler also attended a NATO-Ukraine Council meeting, at the level of defense ministers, in an informal format after the main NATO defense ministers session.
Representatives from the 32 NATO member states gathered for the council meeting, joined by Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Established to elevate relations between NATO and Ukraine to a higher level, the NATO-Ukraine Council convened for the first time in July 2023 at the alliance’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Later in the day, Guler took part in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Meeting, which brought together NATO defense ministers to discuss continued support for Kyiv.
During his visit to Brussels, Guler also visited Türkiye’s Permanent Delegation to NATO and the Turkish Military Representation at NATO headquarters.
“Guler was briefed on ongoing activities by Ambassador Basat Ozturk, Türkiye’s Permanent Representative to NATO, and Lieutenant General Kemal Turan, Head of the Turkish Military Representation,” the ministry said.