UPDATE - Turkish defense chief holds talks with NATO secretary-general

REVISES HEADLINE, DECK AND LEDE, ADDS FURTHER DETAILS

By Sarp Ozer

BRUSSELS (AA) - Türkiye’s defense minister arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday and held talks with several of his
counterparts as well as the alliance’s secretary-general.

Hulusi Akar and Jens Stoltenberg discussed the hot topics on NATO’s agenda and exchanged views on Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Akar also met with his Georgian counterpart Juansher Burchuladze ahead of the NATO meeting. The two defense chiefs discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged ideas on regional security in the Caucasus and the Black Sea.

In addition, Akar held talks with his Georgian, Italian and German counterparts and discussed bilateral ties along with regional defense and security matters.

Before arriving at NATO headquarters, he held brief talks with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who was invited to attend the alliance’s meeting.

Notably, he also attended a meeting of the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group focusing on developments in the war-ravaged country. Their previous meeting had been held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on April 26.

Participants of the two-day meeting include defense chiefs of member states and partners, including Finland, Georgia, Sweden, Ukraine, and the European Union.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas in Ankara