Hulusi Akar

Straight from the playbook of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Defense Minister Hulusi Akar engaged in new a round of accusations against Greece on Thursday, claiming it is "escalating provocative actions."

Once again he reiterated the Turkish claim that Greece "is violating treaties by militarizing its islands with demilitarized status," during a visit to eastern Turkey.

Türkiye on Jan. 20 summoned the Swedish ambassador to Ankara over Sweden's permission for a planned burning of the Quran, Islam's holy book, near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

Turkish foreign ministry officials told the Swedish ambassador, "we condemn this provocative action which is clearly a hate crime - in strongest terms."

Türkiye has warned Greece once again that it will never accept extending its territorial waters to more than 6 miles in the Aegean Sea amid reports that Athens is beginning to mull over increasing its sovereign waters to up to 12 miles off Crete island in the region.

Ties in the field of defense and security between Türkiye and Israel have entered a new era as the latter's defense minister paid a rare visit to Ankara amid ongoing normalization efforts between the two Mediterranean states after years of tension.

The Kremlin said on Oct. 24 that France and Germany were showing "no desire" to participate in mediation on the Ukrainian conflict and praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's offer to organize talks.

Türkiye's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar spoke over the phone in line with diplomatic efforts with his colleagues from Russia and Ukraine as well as the United Kingdom amid rising violence in the war and concerns about the use of unconventional weapons.

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.

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.