Turkish foreign minister meets with counterparts from 4 countries to discuss bilateral, regional issues

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday engaged in a series of bilateral meetings with counterparts from Greece, Finland, South Korea, and Bulgaria on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

According to diplomatic sources, Fidan met with Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Yerapetritis to discuss bilateral and regional issues.

Among the topics discussed were preparations for Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ upcoming visit to Türkiye.

- Latest situation in war-torn Gaza

In another meeting, Fidan exchanged views on counter-terrorism and security cooperation with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.

They also discussed the implementation of the Türkiye-Finland-Sweden Trilateral Memorandum and assessed the current situation in the war-torn Gaza Strip, emphasizing the importance of resolving the conflict as soon as possible and fearing the risk of its spread to other regions.

Both leaders expressed their desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Finland.

- Cooperation with South Korea

Fidan and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul also met to discuss different issues, with a focus on Asia-Pacific developments and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Fidan and Cho Tae-yul discussed bilateral cooperation issues based on the "Roadmap for Dynamic Türkiye-Korea Relations" signed in July 2023, with a focus on the defense industry, economy, and energy sectors.

Moreover, the Turkish minister met with Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel.

NATO foreign ministers holding a two-day meeting in Brussels to discuss the situation in Ukraine, ways to support Kyiv, and the developments in the Indo-Pacific region.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan