Turkish, Croatian defense ministers hold 'constructive' talks in Ankara

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his Croatian counterpart Mario Banozic on Thursday discussed bilateral defense and security issues, as well as regional developments.

"Our meetings have been extremely productive and constructive. We are pleased to see that we agree on many issues," Akar said at a news conference with Mario Banozic in the capital Ankara.

Banozic's visit to Türkiye is the first by a Croatian defense minister in nine years, which came after two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, claiming more than 45,000 lives.

Akar said Croatia was among 91 countries to support Türkiye after the quakes, adding: "I would like to thank the Croatian government, its people, the minister and other countries for their support and contributions, and I express our gratitude."

The defense chiefs agreed that the cooperation between Ankara and Zagreb as part of NATO will make "significant" contributions to both to the alliance and the region, Akar said.

"We once again underlined that military dialogue meetings are very important in terms of taking concrete steps. We mutually agreed on the meeting of military delegations at the earliest opportunity," he added.

Banozic, for his part, said he had a "very constructive" meeting with Akar.

"Croatia shows great sensitivity about the continuation of its very good relations with Türkiye," he said.

The ministers also exchanged views on fighting terrorism and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.