Minister: No problem in Caucasus can be solved without Türkiye's participation

No problem in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and the Caucasus can be solved without Türkiye's participation, Turkish National Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said in an interview with Sabah.

Türkiye is a large and strong state in the region and in the world, Report informs quoting the minister as saying.

"We have taken very serious steps under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara is a serious actor in the system of international relations. Türkiye has very serious projects in Asia and Africa."

According to Akar, there are threats to the country's security: "One can list various things, from hidden sanctions to steps taken in the field of economy. And the immediate threat to us is posed by terrorist groups, including the PKK. They have been trying to stop us for 40 years now. We are determined to fight the terrorists, who have been our main problem for many years, to eradicate this evil."

According to the minister, the only target of the Turkish Armed Forces is terrorists: "Some try to present our fight against terrorists as an ethnic and religious fight. The Kurds are our brothers, we have lived together for hundreds of years, shared bread, and water, and built a republic together. Türkiye seeks to secure its borders. We respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all our neighbours. But we expect the same understanding from them, they must not interfere with our fight against terrorism. We will continue our fight."

Akar stressed that Türkiye's borders are well protected: "We have special equipment to ensure security at the border. Even cats and dogs cannot cross our borders undetected. The Turkish Armed Forces have all the necessary weapons in their arsenal. We have TCG Anadolu landing ships, IMECE satellites, and they are not exclusively for military purposes. They will operate for peaceful purposes as well. We used to even buy guns from abroad. Now we produce and export light weapons ourselves."