Turkey today demanded that any “provocation” be avoided before talks between the United States and Russia next week aimed at easing tensions caused by the presence of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.
NATO, of which Turkey is a member, considers that there is a real danger that Russia will invade Ukraine after the deployment of tens of thousands of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border.
Top US and Russian diplomats are expected to meet in Geneva on Monday after Moscow made a series of demands to Washington and NATO. Then on Wednesday, Russian diplomats will meet with representatives of the 30 NATO member states, in the first such meeting since July 2019.
“We hope that the tension between Ukraine and Russia, between Russia and NATO, will be resolved by peaceful means,” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told a news conference in Ankara today. “Let us not escalate the tension, let us avoid the challenges.”
Akar also cracked down on what he described as a “secret or alleged” embargo on arms sales to Turkey by its NATO allies, without mentioning specific countries.
“The weakening of the Turkish armed forces means the weakening of NATO,” he stressed.
Canada blocked arms exports to Turkey in April 2021 after discovering that drone technology it was selling in Ankara was used by Azerbaijan in the war against Armenia.
Earlier, in 2020, the US imposed sanctions on Turkey, after Ankara bought the Russian S-400 missile defense system.
Akar added that his country is ready to help the Kazakh authorities, who are facing protests against the price of gas, which have escalated into deadly incidents.
Turkey has been trying to strengthen its ties with Turkic-speaking countries in Central Asia, such as Kazakhstan, since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
“Kazakhstan is one of our important partners. And we need peace and order as soon as possible,” Akar said.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
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Source From: Capital
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