Hulusi Akar

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Ashgabat on Nov. 27 to pay an official visit and attend the 15th Summit of Heads of Member States of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) at the invitation of Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Turkey's National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Nov. 23 met with Somalia's Chief of General Staff Brig. Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rageh in the capital Ankara.

Rageh arrived in Turkey at the invitation of Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler.

As the second largest army of NATO, Turkey is doing its best to protect the borders of the bloc against terrorism, human trafficking and smuggling, the Turkish defense minister has said, underlining that Turkey sees NATO as the center of its security.

A high-level defense group meeting between Turkish and U.S. officials was held in Washington, D.C., Turkey's National Defense Ministry said on Nov. 17.

At the meeting, which the ministry said was conducted in a positive and constructive atmosphere, the delegations exchanged views on bilateral and regional defense and security issues, it added in a statement.

Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a telephone conversation on Nov. 16 with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Zakir Hasanov, to discuss Azerbaijan-Armenia tension.

Hasanov informed Akar about recent tension at the Armenian border, stressing that Armenia's "provocation was prevented," according to a statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Turkey and the United States have initiated separate talks for the former's request over the acquisition of 40 F-16 fighter jets and the reimbursement of payment for F-35 jets which the U.S. didn't deliver, the Turkish defense minister has said, informing that a Turkish delegation has been dispatched to Washington to this end. 

Meeting in Istanbul on Nov. 15, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal and his Russian counterpart Andrey Rudenko discussed regional issues, including Afghanistan.

Turkey's defense minister and his Qatari counterpart met in Istanbul, the National Defense Ministry said on Nov. 11.

According to the ministry, during the meeting, Hulusi Akar and Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah discussed "bilateral and regional defense, security, and cooperation in the defense industry."

İYİ (Good) Party Group Deputy Chair Lütfü Türkkan on Nov. 6 resigned from his post at the party after he was accused of swearing at a protester in eastern province of Bingöl.

Video footage posted on social media showed Türkkan swearing at a relative of a person killed by the terror group PKK protesting İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has called on Armenia to end "hostility," stressing that a future cannot be built in the region based on "grudge and hatred."