Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that his country does not threaten neighboring countries, but only targets what he described as terrorists.

Akar denied the presence of chemical weapons in the Turkish forces, stressing that his country will not tolerate those who tarnish its reputation.

The Turkish minister announced the killing of nearly 4,000 terrorists in Turkey, northern Syria and Iraq since the beginning of the year, and the prevention of the crossing of more than 250,000 irregular migrants and the extradition of 8,000 others.

This came in an evaluation meeting at the end of the year regarding the activities of the Turkish Ministry of Defense, at the ministry's headquarters in the capital, Ankara.

Regarding the operations in northern Syria, Akar pointed out that Turkey prevented, through these operations, the establishment of the "terrorist corridor" to be formed on its southern borders.

He stressed that no one should expect Turkey to tolerate "terrorist elements" stationed along its borders, led by countries wishing to drag the region into instability and chaos, as he put it.

Akar also accused Greece of provoking Turkish fighters, calling on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to take a firm stand on that.

In another context, Akar indicated that Ankara is not against Sweden and Finland's membership in NATO, "but they have to fulfill their promises," as he put it.

Regarding the relationship with Washington, Akar stressed that Turkey is waiting for a practical and positive result regarding the "F-16" fighter file with the United States.