Hulusi Akar

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has strongly urged Greece to avoid new adventures that would result in a big defeat just like they had observed one century ago, in remarks following the Greek warplanes' harassment of the Turkish F-16s twice in three days.

The Greek jetfighters harassed the Turkish warplanes conducting a NATO mission over the Aegean Sea, sources from the Defense Ministry said, marking the second harassment of the Turkish planes in three days.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has described ongoing technical talks for Türkiye's request of purchasing 40 new F-16s from the United States as positive, following the fourth round of talks between the two countries' military experts.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Aug. 20 thanked Türkiye for its "pivotal role" in the signing of the recent grain export deal.

His remarks came during a joint press conference with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar at the Joint Coordination Center. 

It is supposed that summers in the Aegean should be "calm". This is imposed at least by the "Papoulias-Yilmaz memorandum" of 1988, but also by the practice followed by Greece and Turkey in previous years, with this "tradition" being disrupted from 2020 onwards.

Military delegations from Türkiye, Russia and Ukraine and a delegation from United Nations will meet in Istanbul on July 13 to discuss the safe export of Ukrainian grain, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said.

Türkiye has "neutralized" nearly 2,000 terrorists in cross-border terror operations in 2022, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on July 9.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar discussed the Ukrainian crisis and the issue of the stranded A400M Turkish aircraft with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, on July 8.

There is a general consensus among relevant parties for establishing an operation center in Istanbul and opening a corridor that will enable Ukrainian grain to reach global markets, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on June 23.

"We see that concrete steps can be taken," he told reporters.

The government is seeking to extend the tenure of Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler, who normally should retire due to age limitations this August.

A bill submitted to parliament stipulates extending the age limit from 67 to 72 for the chief of general staff.