LOC01:53
22:53 GMT
ISTANBUL, July 7 (KUNA) -- Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Guerini discussed a range of regional issues in Ankara on Tuesday.
Hailing the talks as "sincere and constructive," Akar said, "We exchanged views on our countries, NATO, Libya, Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean."
"We believe that the effective cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of defense and security will provide very important benefits not only for our countries but also for the whole region," Turkey's Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted him as saying following the meeting.
"We are also pleased to observe that we share common and similar views on many issues," the Turkish minister pointed out.
On his part, Italy's defense chief said, "We shared our vision and knowledge. We did this within the framework of the friendship between Turkey and Italy. It is deep-rooted and cemented."
"Especially on Libya, we once again agreed that we should produce a political solution for Libya to meet peace," he underlined.
"For a stabilized Mediterranean, we need to work together and we all have to shoulder responsibility," Guerini said.
Guerini's visit to Turkey came shortly after Akar and Turkish Chief of General Staff General Yasar Guler returned from an official visit to Libya last week. (end)
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