Minister Akar: The Montreux Convention meets the interests of all parties, violation of the status quo will not benefit anyone (Anadolu, Turkey)
What is happening in Ukraine has made fundamental changes in regional security, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said. He noted the special role of Ankara in the settlement of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev and recalled that Turkey insists on dialogue and diplomacy, not sanctions.
"We are negotiating with both Russia and Ukraine on the two military transport aircraft of the Turkish Armed Forces remaining in Ukraine. Both countries are interested in this issue. We expect positive results in the coming days," Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.
Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said that positive results are expected in the coming days from the ongoing negotiations with both Russia and Ukraine regarding the two military transport aircraft of the Turkish Armed Forces (AF) remaining in Ukraine.
Akar met with journalists after an extraordinary meeting of NATO defense ministers.
Noting that Turkey maintains an extremely consistent and principled position regarding the events in Ukraine, Akar recalled that Turkey has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine.
According to him, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and made significant efforts to resolve the problem without the use of military force.
Akar stressed that what is happening in Ukraine has caused drastic changes in regional security, and continued: "We, as NATO members, should think very carefully about what we need to do in the short, medium and long term to maintain deterrence and defense, the capabilities and potential we have. All countries and the alliance as a whole are looking for answers to these questions both in bilateral and general negotiations."
"Violating the status of Montreux will not benefit anyone"
Recalling that Turkey supports the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, Akar noted the need for an early declaration of a ceasefire.
According to Akar, President Erdogan is constantly talking about this at the highest level, and the minister himself is also negotiating with his Russian and Ukrainian colleagues. "The humanitarian situation is deteriorating, and it needs to be prevented. This requires a ceasefire. We suggest it, we voice it, we offer it," the head of the department said.
Speaking about the need to find a solution to the problems of the civilian population in Ukraine, Akar said: "There are old people, women, children, innocent people. In this sense, we did everything we could, and we will continue to do so. We will try to continue to do everything in our power, as far as possible."
One of the most important efforts to restore peace and stability in the region is compliance with the Montreux Convention, the Minister noted.
"By talking and negotiating with all parties on this issue, we want the Montreux Convention to continue to be implemented very seriously, sincerely, openly, transparently, as it has been so far," Akar continued. – In this context, we strive to preserve peace, stability, and tranquility. To date, all parties have complied with the provisions of this document. We always say that the Montreux Convention meets the interests of all parties. Violating the status quo will not benefit anyone. We have repeatedly said and continue to say that the implementation and compliance with this agreement by the relevant parties is an important step and significant support on the path to peace and stability."
"We want our efforts to be appreciated"
Recalling that Turkey is fighting many terrorist organizations, Akar expressed the need for cooperation in this regard, taking appropriate measures, which Turkey, according to him, expects, including from its NATO allies.
Speaking about the fact that Turkey's actions in the fight against terrorism should be known, Akar noted: "We are protecting the southeastern borders of the European Union, Europe, NATO. If we don't fight terrorism, illegal, unwanted migration, what will happen to Europe? The work we are doing serves the interests and rights of not only our country, but at the same time this work is also extremely useful for Europe, and this should be known. Awareness in this regard is needed. We want our efforts to be appreciated."
Negotiations within the framework of an extraordinary meeting of Defense Ministers of NATO member states
The head of the Turkish Defense Ministry also touched upon the talks he held during an extraordinary meeting of NATO defense ministers with his colleagues from the United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, Greece, Latvia, noting that these talks were positive and constructive.
Stressing that the main topic of these talks was what was happening in Ukraine, Akar continued: "We put forward our views, ideas, and course of action. In this regard, we have brought to the attention of our colleagues that there is no negative in our relations with Russia, on the contrary, there is a situation that contributes to solving the problem through discussion, negotiations and our mediation role. We have been a member of NATO for 70 years. All these 70 years we have been regularly fulfilling all the tasks assigned to us. Therefore, first of all, because of our work on military issues, we occupy a truly special and respected place among the NATO armies and are doing everything possible to preserve it. We approach questions seriously and sincerely. We perform any task assigned to us. We expect that both NATO and other member countries of the alliance will do in a similar way what everyone should do."
"An early ceasefire is needed"
Minister Akar also answered journalists' questions. Speaking about the work related to the evacuation of Turkish citizens, the head of the military department noted: "There are separate collisions on the ground, on different sections, roads. Therefore, when evacuating by road, the probability of such isolated attacks is taken into account. Our contacts with the parties are continuing on this issue. Our Foreign Minister also maintains contacts in this direction. Does everything possible to speed up the work as much as possible. This issue is on the agenda of our president all the time."
Akar was asked to assess criticism of Turkey for allegedly insufficient application of sanctions against Russia. "No one has the right to say that Turkey does not support the decision to impose sanctions. Whatever restrictions the United Nations imposes, the Republic of Turkey strictly fulfills its obligations," the Minister said.
At the same time, it is important to carefully plan the goals of sanctions and the desired results, the head of the department stressed. "What is happening should not be inflated, but restrained. An early ceasefire is needed. With the establishment of a ceasefire and the beginning of political and diplomatic negotiations, peace and stability should come as soon as possible. Now they are talking, among other things, about some extremely harsh, direct practices. But in this case, would a Diplomatic forum in Antalya be possible? If there was no forum, could there have been such a softening? Here it is necessary to correctly assess the balance of profits and losses. In this sense, our position is not built in the spirit of "we do not apply measures at all", we assess and assume that cautious progress will be more appropriate for Ukraine, Russia, and the region. In this regard, we believe that our work allows us to make a significant contribution to the settlement. And this work is highly appreciated by all countries, both involved and impartial."
"Balanced and warm relations"
The Minister was asked the following question: Ukraine initially had certain requirements, especially for NATO countries, while Turkey focused on the issue of humanitarian assistance, will steps be taken towards fulfilling Ukraine's requirements?
Akar stressed that Turkey, due to its relations with Russia, is acting very carefully and delicately in this matter.
Recalling that Turkey has supported both the political process and humanitarian assistance activities from the very beginning of the events in Ukraine, the head of the Turkish Defense Ministry continued: "We maintain balanced and warm relations. We acted in a balanced manner, did everything that was necessary and everything in our power, and we will continue to do so."
Asked about the current situation in relations between Turkey and Greece, Akar replied: "We conduct our negotiations sincerely, openly, honestly and transparently."
The Minister recalled that the first and third meetings on confidence-building measures between the defense ministries of the two countries were held in Athens, and the second in Turkey, while the fourth meeting should be held in Turkey.
According to Akar, a Greek delegation is expected in Ankara to hold a meeting on confidence-building measures, and this issue was also discussed during his talks with Greek Minister of National Defense Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos on the sidelines of an extraordinary NATO meeting.
"This is important from the point of view of the well–being of the peoples of the two countries, sharing the beauties and riches of the Aegean Sea," the minister said. - There is tourism, fishing and many other assets. We are in favor of using them together, we have said this. And we saw a positive response from our interlocutors. We expect progress in this direction in the coming days. We adhere to a constructive, positive approach."
Two aircraft of the Turkish Armed Forces in Ukraine
When answering the question about the two remaining A400M military transport aircraft of the Turkish Armed Forces in Ukraine, Akar noted: "Two of our military transport planes with humanitarian aid landed in Ukraine on February 23. Humanitarian cargo was transferred to the Ukrainian side. However, when the return flight was being prepared, the dispatchers reported the closure of the airspace of Ukraine. We are discussing this issue with both Russia and Ukraine. Both countries are showing interest. Work is underway to return the aircraft without any damage. Our contacts continue. We expect positive results in the coming days."
When asked about the vessels, including those loaded with vegetable oil, that were in Russian ports, Akar replied: "We talked with Russian officials, these vessels left and headed for Turkey. Negotiations are continuing on the remaining vessels."
Authors: Sarp Ozer (Sarp Özer), Omer Tugrul Cham (Ömer Tuğrul Çam)
