Erdogan warns NATO Black Sea has become "Russian lake"

Erdogan warns NATO Black Sea has become "Russian lake"

The Turkish president spoke during a meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday of heads of general staff of Balkan countries when he said he told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that the alliance was "absent from the Black Sea."

"The Black Sea has almost become a Russian lake. If we don’t take action, history will not forgive us.”

Erdogan also remarked that "Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia should join the alliance soon to make it stronger."

"3,000"

Turkish forces have killed 3,000 Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, Erdogan said during the conference, "insisting no other country has matched its efforts against the extremists," Voice of America reported.

He also "denounced those who accused Turkey of supporting the Islamic State group":

"There have been those who have... been vile by showing Turkey as a country that helps Daesh (Islamic State)."

Serbian army chief in attendance

Serbian Army (VS) Chief of Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic on Wednesday took part in the Balkan Countries Chiefs of Defense Conference in Istanbul.

According to the Serbian Defense Ministry, the participants "agreed that the forum remained a successful framework for discussions on regional security and stability."

They also "agreed that the forum offered a firm foundation for improving military cooperation between its members and with other forums and security organizations."

Taking part in the 10th edition of the conference were the chiefs of staff of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey, and the deputy chief of staff of Romania.

Attending as guests were the deputy chairman of the NATO Military Committee, the Allied Joint Force Command Naples commander and the chiefs of staff of Croatia and Slovenia.

Dikovic also had bilateral meetings with Chief of Staff of the Turkish Army General Hulusi Akar, and Chief of Staff of the Macedonian Armed Forces Lieutenant-General Metodija Velickovski.