(VOVworld) -  Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that Ankara needs defense cooperation with countries outside NATO because some Western partners are unwilling to sell equipment to or exchange information with Turkey. However, he dismissed speculation that Turkey can ultimately leave the Western alliance, reiterating that Turkey is "one of NATO's biggest supporters."

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (Photo: apa.az)

According to Dogan news agency, Turkish police on Monday raided three major courts in Istanbul with arrest warrants for 173 prosecutors and other judicial staff working there allegedly involved in last month’s coup attempt. The number of suspects detained in the raids was not announced.