Hulusi Akar

A total of 37,732 terrorists have been neutralized since July 24, 2015, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said.

Political parties submitted their parliamentary candidate lists for May 14 polls to the Supreme Election Board (YSK) on April 9.

Reflecting the changing mood in Greek-Turkish relations, Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos has hailed what he referred to as an extremely positive climate.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Friday said he expects a moratorium with Greece in military and airforce exercises in the Aegean Sea between June 15 and September 15, to accommodate tourism, as relations continued to thaw following the deadly earthquakes in Turkey last February.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has had a phone conversation with United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to discuss NATO expansion with Finland and Türkiye's demand of supplying 40 new F-16s from the U.S., the Turkish ministry said in a statement.

Turkey's defense minister told his US counterpart that Finland's new NATO membership showed its support for enlargement and that it hoped Sweden would fulfil commitments under its own bid as soon as possible, Ankara said on Thursday.

The Greek and Turkish Defense ministers, Nikos Panagiotopoulos and Hulusi Akar, conveyed a message on Tuesday on the need to keep communication channels between Athens and Turkey open, and, in the long term, to create conditions for cooperation.

NATO members Turkey and Greece can resolve their disputes through peaceful means and dialogue, Turkey's defense minister said after talks with his Greek counterpart Tuesday, in the latest sign of easing tensions between the rival neighbors.

Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos paid a solidarity visit to quake-hit southern Hatay province on April 4, accompanied by his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has denied allegations that irregular migrants are entering through the Turkish borders in massive numbers, stressing that political comments by the opposition that suggest an increase in the refugees are based on some footage taken in different countries and at different times.