Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned attendance at an upcoming NATO summit in Ankara will help strengthen alliance unity.
Speaking to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party on Wednesday, Erdoğan said Türkiye had stepped up preparations for the summit, scheduled for 7–8 July, with the aim of making it a defining moment for the alliance.
“The announcement that Mr. Trump will attend the Ankara summit is a valuable step in terms of the alliance’s cohesion,” he said.
“We have intensified our preparations to ensure that the Ankara summit becomes a reference point in NATO’s history,” he added.
The summit is expected to bring together the leaders of NATO’s 32 member states at a time of heightened concern over the war in Ukraine, defence spending commitments, military readiness and security challenges facing Europe and the Middle East.
According to Erdoğan, the landmark gathering is certain to attract global attention.
He also described 2026 as a year in which Türkiye’s international profile would reach new heights.
The Turkish leader stressed Ankara’s continued support for diplomacy, regional stability and Palestinian rights, while sharply criticising Israel’s recent military actions in the region.
Hours after Erdoğan made the remarks, Trump hailed his close relationship with his Turkish counterpart.
“He is a very good friend of mine, and we have worked together very well,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “He is a great leader and a very strong person.”
Asked whether recent friction between Türkiye and Israel could lead to conflict, the U.S. president said he would intervene personally to prevent such a scenario.
“I would call him [Erdogan] and make sure everything was fine,” Trump said, adding: “He respects me, and I respect him.”
The exchange underscored the importance of personal diplomacy between the two leaders ahead of the summit, which Ankara hopes will reinforce alliance unity amid mounting geopolitical uncertainty.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the stri...
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that a failure to quickly resolve restrictions on Armenian exports could mark “the beginning of t...
Three firefighters have died as wildfires continue to burn across Greece, with Crete facing a second day of intense blazes driven by strong winds. The...
French DJ and electropop musician Kavinsky, whose atmospheric sound shaped a generation of electronic music fans, has died at the age of 50, French authorities said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
Yemen warned the Houthis were seeking to replicate Iran's Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea, as U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a "good chance" of a deal with Tehran but warned strikes could resume if talks failed.
Moscow should stop linking Russia-Armenia relations to Azerbaijan, Baku's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada has said, after Russia again raised the Collective Security Treaty Organisation's role during the former Garabagh conflict.
A fire involving two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta port has prompted conflicting reports over whether the incident was caused by a drone strike or an onboard technical fault. Egyptian authorities said there were no casualties.
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto prefecture has risen to 30, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Thursday, as water and power shortages left survivors exposed to extreme summer heat.
Australia's internet regulator said on Thursday it had begun legal action against messaging platform Telegram over alleged failings to tackle pro-terror posts.
Residents across southern Japan are struggling with disrupted water and electricity supplies two days after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 30th of July, covering the latest developments.
Russian air strikes killed at least 13 in Ukraine on Thursday, including one in Kyiv, in attacks extending as far as the western city of Lviv, forcing neighbouring Poland to scramble fighter jets to secure its airspace.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment