Türkİye, Politics

Defense wide-ranging, cannot just be carried out through military means: Turkish minister

Ankara expects grain export deal to continue without interruptions, defense chief Akar tells 13th Ambassadors Conference in Ankara

Merve Aydogan  | 09.08.2022 - Update : 09.08.2022
Defense wide-ranging, cannot just be carried out through military means: Turkish minister

ANKARA 

Defense of a country is wide-ranging which cannot just be carried out through military means, the Turkish defense chief said on Tuesday. 

"There is economic security, there is cultural economy and there's cultural security," Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told the 13th Ambassadors Conference in Ankara.

Addressing the Turkish envoys, Akar said Türkiye aims to protect its borders from terrorist organizations via its cross-border operations, and "we have no interest in anyone's land."

He said terrorist organizations are making use of the high technology and destructive power tools, leading to "global insecurity."

Akar said that although Russia calls its actions in Ukraine otherwise, a war is going on. "Thus, we have implemented the articles from the Montreux Convention (international pact on the way straits are monitored)," he added.

Recalling Türkiye's agreements signed with Russia, as well as the US on eliminating terrorists from northern Syria, Akar said: "Although, we have undertaken and fulfilled all responsibilities on our part, our interlocutors have failed to fulfill the promises."

The Turkish defense chief stressed Turkish forces confronted Daesh/ISIS both within and outside its borders.

In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist group.

The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.

In response, Türkiye launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.

Since 2016, Türkiye has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and to enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

Noting that Türkiye's borders are protected with "the most intense measures in the history of our republic," Akar said his country "neutralized around 4,500 terrorists (including Daesh terrorists) in Operation Euphrates Shield, both in northern Iraq and northern Syria."

On Türkiye's operations in northern Iraq, Akar said at least 311 terrorists were "neutralized" as part of Operation Claw-Lock since its launch.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

Turkiye has launched successive operations against the PKK in northern Iraq since 2020, most recently Operation Claw-Lock in April targeting PKK hideouts in Iraq's Metina region.

It was preceded by operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks in Turkiye.

Commenting on the landmark grain export deal brokered by Türkiye and the UN, Akar said Ankara expects 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.

Regarding NATO, the defense chief said his country fulfills its duties at NATO in full and expects the same from the 30-member military alliance.

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.

After its unfair suspension from the F-35 program, Türkiye has sought to broker a deal with the US for the sales of F-16s and upgrade kits for earlier models of the fighter jet.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said "the Joint Coordination Center, which became operational with Ministry of National Defense in Istanbul, is an indication of the concrete contribution of our cooperation to global food security."

Adding that both the defense and foreign ministries have close cooperation on defense and security matters including NATO, Cavusolu said they work "shoulder to shoulder on many vital foreign policy issues such as Syria, Libya, the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus, and the Caucasus."


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