Turkish defense chief Akar meets German counterpart in Munich to discuss cooperation

Turkey's defense chief met with his German counterpart and Somalia's foreign minister on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference in the German city on Saturday.

National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Christine Lambrecht discussed bilateral, regional, and global issues, as well as the defense industry and military training and cooperation, said a ministry statement.

During the meeting, Akar stressed the historical and cultural ties between Turkey and Germany, adding that Ankara expects Berlin to take concrete steps on defense industry export restrictions, the statement added.

Akar also pointed to cooperation in the fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated 2016 coup in Turkey, it added.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people killed and 2,734 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Akar also met with Somalia's Abdisaid Muse Ali as part of the security conference, a separate statement said, adding that the two officials discussed developments in bilateral and regional issues, as well as defense and security.