Türkiye prioritizes NATO commitments while seeking to bolster ties with SCO

Türkiye is actively seeking to enhance its relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), but its top priority remains fulfilling its NATO obligations.

"Turkey intends to improve ties with the SCO, but our priority is to fulfill our commitments to NATO as a key ally and to strengthen solidarity with our partners," Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler’s remarks in an interview with Reuters.

Following the NATO summit in July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Türkiye's intention to become a full member of the SCO, building on its current observer status within the organization.

In the same interview, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said he could meet with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas as part of the process of improving relations between the two countries.

"Turkey and Syria may hold a meeting at the ministerial level as part of efforts to normalize relations if suitable conditions are created," Guler told the news agency.

The first talks between the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers since 2011 were held in December 2022 in Moscow, mediated by Russia.