Japan's defence minister discusses military cooperation, drones on Turkey visit
Gen Nakatani is the first Japanese defence minister to make an official trip to Turkey, a NATO member country that is keen to expand economic and other ties beyond Europe and the Middle East. Turkey and Japan are both U.S. allies.
ANKARA (Reuters) -Japan's defence minister discussed defence industry cooperation and possible purchases of Turkish-made drones during a visit to Ankara on Tuesday, as Tokyo expands the role of unmanned systems in its armed forces.
Nakatani will also visit Istanbul on Wednesday and tour defence companies and facilities, including Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), navy shipyards and drone-maker Baykar, a Turkish Defence Ministry official said.
'Defence industry cooperation will be on the agenda…' the official said. 'They will hold inspections regarding drones, but an agreement is not expected. It is too early for an agreement.'
Turkey-backed firms have supplied drones to several countries, including Ukraine, while Japan is preparing to expand the use of unmanned aerial vehicles across its ground, air and naval forces.
Japan is considering Turkish drones among potential options as part of this effort, the diplomatic source said.
Defence Minister Yasar Guler said after his meeting with Nakatani that Turkey wanted to increase defence industry and military cooperation with Japan, his office said in a readout.
Turkey and Japan have both condemned Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though Ankara has maintained cordial relations with Moscow and has not joined Western economic sanctions against it.
Nakatani's visit to Turkey is part of a regional tour from August 17–22 that also includes stops in Djibouti and Jordan.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, Timothy Kelly in TokyoEditing by Gareth Jones)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
3 minutes ago
- Mint
How Trump plans to shield Ukraine from Russian strikes? US may give air cover, no ground troops
While the United States has ruled out sending troops to Ukraine to shield the country from any future attacks by Russia, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, August 19, that his country might provide air support as part of a deal to end Russia's war in the country. This has come as Donald Trump pledged security guarantee to Ukraine to help end the war. "When it comes to security, (Europeans) are willing to put people on the ground. We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably ... by air," Trump said in an interview with the Fox News "Fox & Friends" program. Trump, without offering details, described his approach to ending the war as 'probably instinct more than process.' Meanwhile, Russia launched its biggest air assault in more than a month on Ukraine, with 270 drones and 10 missiles launched, the Ukrainian air force said. The energy ministry said the strikes caused big fires at energy facilities in the central Poltava region, home to Ukraine's only oil refinery. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X, 'While hard work to advance peace was underway in Washington, DC, Moscow continued to do the opposite of peace: more strikes and destruction.' 'An ordinary apartment block … families with small children, a children's playground, a residential compound,' a person was quoted as saying by Reuters. Also Read | Trump-Zelensky meeting: What does it mean for Trump's tariffs on India? EXPLAINED White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, too, confirmed that US air support was 'an option and a possibility,' but did not provide any details. "The president has definitively stated U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Ukraine, but we can certainly help in the coordination and perhaps provide other means of security guarantees to our European allies," she said at a news briefing.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 minutes ago
- First Post
Ukrainian drone attack knocks out power in Russia-controlled areas of Zaporizhzhia
Russian forces hold well over half of the Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine's southeast. But Kyiv maintains control of the region's main administrative centre, and its attacks have periodically knocked out electricity in Russian-held areas A view of the penal colony hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine. Reuters file Overnight Ukrainian drone attack in the Zaporizhzhia region knocked out power in several Russia-controlled areas, the Moscow-installed governor has said. 'The reason for the power cuts in Zaporizhzhia region is yet another enemy terrorist drone attack on high-voltage equipment,' Moscow-appointed Governor Yevgeny Balitsky wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The governor said that authorities are trying to restore power and switch affected areas to reserve lines, but the process is getting hindered 'by the danger of repeat strikes and by darkness'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Russian forces hold well over half of the Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine's southeast. But Kyiv maintains control of the region's main administrative centre, and its attacks have periodically knocked out electricity in Russian-held areas. Russia in 2022 annexed the Zaporizhzhia region, along with neighbouring Kherson, as well as Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine's east, about seven months after invading its smaller neighbour. In June, Ukrainian shelling in the region cut power to at least 700,000 residents for more than 24 hours. That attack appeared to be the largest of its kind on Russian-held territory since the war began. The Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Europe's largest with six reactors, was operating as normal, unaffected by the power cuts, the plant's director of communications, Yevgenia Yashina, told Russia's RIA news agency. Zelenskyy-Putin meet Meanwhile, the White House is making arrangements for a potential meeting between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin on Monday told Trump that he was willing to meet Zelenskyy, according to US State Secretary Marco Rubio. Rubio said that the Trump administration is looking at a give-and-take approach to resolve the conflict. But the question remains what Russia might be willing to offer in exchange for concessions from Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Switzerland and Austria said Tuesday that they would host Putin if he came for talks on peace in Ukraine, despite the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant. With inputs from agencies
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 minutes ago
- Business Standard
India, China agree to resume direct flights, boost trade, investment
The two countries would resume direct flights and boost trade and investment, including reopening border trade at three designated points, and facilitate in visas Reuters NEW DELHI India and China agreed on Tuesday to resume direct flights and step up trade and investment flows as the neighbours rebuild ties damaged by a 2020 border clash. The Asian giants are cautiously strengthening ties against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's unpredictable foreign policy, staging a series of high-level bilateral visits. The two countries would resume direct flights and boost trade and investment, including reopening border trade at three designated points, and facilitate in visas, the Indian foreign ministry said. Direct flights have been suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. No date was given for their resumption. The latest statements came at the end of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's two-day visit to New Delhi for the 24th round of talks with Indian National Security (NSA) Advisor Ajit Doval to resolve their decades old border dispute. The border talks covered issues related to pulling back troops both countries have amassed on their Himalayan border, delimitation of borders and boundary affairs, the Indian ministry said. Both countries have agreed to set up a working group to consult and coordinate on border affairs to advance demarcation negotiations, a Chinese foreign ministry statement released on Wednesday showed. It said the mechanism will extend talks to cover the eastern and middle sections of the border. Meanwhile another round of talks on the western section will be held as soon as possible, the ministry said. Beijing also said both countries agreed to meet again in China in 2026. "Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity," Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X after meeting Wang. Modi is scheduled to travel to China at the end of this month to take part in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - his first visit to the country in more than seven years. Tibet Dam A readout from the Chinese foreign ministry said Wang told Doval that "the stable and healthy development of China-India relations is in the fundamental interests of the two countries' people". The two sides "should enhance mutual trust through dialogues and expand cooperation," Wang said, and should aim for consensus in areas such as border control and demarcation negotiations. India said Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had underlined in his talks with Wang India's concerns with regard to the mega dam China is building on the Yarlung Zangbo river in Tibet. Yarlung Zangbo becomes the Brahmaputra as it flows into India and Bangladesh, a lifeline for millions. The dam would have implications for lower riparian states and the need for "utmost transparency" was strongly underlined, New Delhi said. To that, China agreed to share with India emergency hydrological information on relevant rivers on humanitarian principles, China's foreign ministry said. Both sides agreed to engage an expert-level mechanism on cross-border rivers, and maintain communication to renew flood reporting arrangements, the ministry said. Chinese officials had previously said hydropower projects in Tibet will not have a major impact on the environment or on downstream water supplies, but India and Bangladesh have nevertheless raised concerns. Earlier on Tuesday, an Indian source said Wang had assured Jaishankar that Beijing was addressing three key Indian concerns - the need for fertilisers, rare earths and tunnel boring machines. The Indian foreign and mines ministries and China's commerce ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
