NATO chief highlights Türkiye's role in Istanbul peace talks

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) – NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Türkiye's significant role in Istanbul peace talks aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict, saying Turkish President Erdogan is "an amazing leader within NATO and really respected by the colleagues."

“I think there is this window of opportunity this week, but also in the next 10 days, 2 weeks, to really bring the whole issue of Ukraine to a better place. Under the leadership, of course, of President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy, but also very much steered by the American government. And Türkiye plays a big role here,” Rutte told Anadolu, referring to Istanbul peace talks.

On Eurofighter sale to Türkiye, Rutte said: “I encourage not imposing restrictions on arms sales by one ally on another. This should not happen within the alliance.”

He further underlined the importance of Türkiye's defense industry to NATO, saying: “The Turkish defense industry is crucial to the overall alliance.”

“For example, in Texas, there are factories producing ammunition. They could not have done that without the close cooperation of the companies here in Türkiye. This is just one of many examples.”

Commenting on the dissolution of the PKK terror group, the official said: “We know that Türkiye generally is one of the allies within NATO hit hardest by terrorist attacks.”