Defense Minister Hulusi Akar criticized some countries for refusing to accept the fact that the YPG and PKK are the same terrorist organization, as he said Turkey will not accept a terrorist presence near its southern borders.

"There is no difference between the PKK and YPG terrorists but some countries insist on refusing to understand this," Akar said Tuesday, referring to some Western countries like Finland and Sweden, which provide assistance to the terrorists.

Akar reiterated Ankara's determination to continue fighting against terrorism regardless of who is behind it.

Speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi, where he paid an official visit, the defense minister stressed that Turkey does not accept any terror presence on its southern border and northern Syria.

"Due to the current situation, we see that we have to make some interventions to protect our country. ... We will continue our fight until the last terrorist is neutralized," he noted.

Akar also highlighted that Turkey respects the borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty rights of all its neighbors, especially Syria and Iraq.

"Our only target is terrorists. For us, there is no ethnic, religious or sectarian discrimination between terrorism and terrorists," he said, adding Kurds and Arabs are Turkey's brothers and sisters.

In response to a question on a possible cross-border terror operation, the Turkish minister stressed that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is ready to act at any time with its equipment, weapons, motivation and experience.

Ties with UAE

Referring to his official contact and meetings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Akar said he is expecting "important and positive developments" soon on bilateral cooperation in the military education and defense industry.

"We consider that the work we will do will contribute not only to our countries but also to the peace and stability of the region," he added.

Akar's visit is significant as it is the first one by a Turkish defense minister to the UAE in 15 years.

After years of tense relations, there has been a major thaw in ties between Turkey and the Arab world.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's November 2021 visit led to the announcement of a $10 billion fund for investments in Turkey. The countries also signed several agreements on energy, environment, finance and trade.

In February, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also visited the UAE, and the two countries inked 13 agreements in various fields.