Hulusi Akar

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on April 6 held an online meeting with his counterparts from Black Sea coastal countries and discussed the floating mines in the Black Sea and the issue of humanitarian corridors to Ukraine.

The discussions, held upon Turkey's invitation, were fruitful, the minister said in a statement after the meeting.

Turkey can provide ship support for the evacuation of civilians and injured Turkish and other nationals in Mariupol through the sea, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on April 3.

"In this context, our coordination with authorities of the Russian Federation and Ukraine continues," Akar said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Moscow's offer to start peace negotiations in Belarus, instead, pointing at Istanbul, Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest or Baku for talks.

"Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, Baku. We proposed all of them," Zelensky said on Feb. 27 in an address posted online.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 25 discussed Russia's military intervention in Ukraine in a phone call, a statement by the communications directorate said. 

According to the announcement made after the call, the two leaders addressed Russia's military intervention in Ukraine and the latest developments.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said he met with senior Iraqi and Iraqi-Kurdish officials to discuss Turkey's ongoing fight against the PKK terrorist organization, which had been using the Iraqi territories since the late 1980s.

Maintaining the status quo in the Black Sea provided by the Montreux Convention is of vital importance, Turkey's defense minister has said, calling on Ukraine and Russia to de-escalate tension and resolve problems through dialogue.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Feb. 16 attended NATO meetings in Brussels amid a crisis between the Alliance and Russia over the latter's military build-up in eastern Ukraine. Akar also had a bilateral meeting with his Greek counterpart after a fresh debate between the two neighbors over the status of the Aegean islands.

Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum has tested positive for COVID-19, while the country's top health official predicts that daily virus cases will decline sharply after peaking.

The Turkish Parliament has suspended work for one week over increasing COVID-19 cases among lawmakers and the staff.

In the last month, 40 MPs only from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) tested positive for COVID-19. The treatment of deputies from other political parties who contracted the virus is continuing.

Turkey has called Russia and Ukraine for restraint and dialogue amid ongoing escalation between the two neighbors on the eve of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Kyiv on Feb. 3.