Will Trump visit Turkey? NATO Summit expected
Whether U.S. President Donald Trump will include Turkey in his Middle East tour is a subject of curiosity. As diplomatic contacts intensify on the Ankara-Washington line, it has been stated that the probability of a Trump-Erdoğan meeting taking place before the NATO Summit in the Netherlands is very high. So, is a visit to Turkey on Trump's schedule? Here are the details...
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It has begun to be discussed loudly behind the scenes that US President Donald Trump may add Turkey to his Middle East tour planned for May. While the traffic of diplomatic contacts between Ankara and Washington draws attention, all eyes have turned to an Erdoğan-Trump summit.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump are expected to meet face-to-face at the latest during the NATO Summit to be held in the Netherlands on June 24-25. However, according to diplomatic sources, it is a strong possibility that this meeting will take place in Turkey before the NATO Summit.
TURKEY VISIT ON THE AGENDA
According to a report by BBC Turkish, diplomatic circles in Ankara state that the possibility of Trump visiting Turkey is being seriously evaluated. While it was previously discussed that Erdoğan would go to the US, the focus has now shifted to Trump coming to Turkey. The last leader to visit Turkey in the capacity of US President was Barack Obama, who came to Antalya in 2015 for the G20 Summit.
MIDDLE EAST TOUR PREPARATIONS
According to reports in the US media, Trump will embark on a Middle East tour centered in Saudi Arabia in May. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Israel are expected to be included in the tour. Whether Turkey will be added to this list is a matter of curiosity. The White House, for now, has only confirmed Saudi Arabia and has not provided information regarding other countries.
The main objectives of this tour include addressing the current situation in Gaza, signing new trade agreements with Gulf countries, and normalizing Israel's relations with the region. The issue of Israel will also be one of the main agenda items in a potential visit to Turkey.
BILATERAL CONTACT TRAFFIC ACCELERATED
The leaders of the two countries spoke by phone for the first time on March 16. Subsequently, contacts at the diplomatic level gained momentum. Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan has held both face-to-face and telephone conversations with Trump's Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Presidential Advisor on Security and Foreign Policy Akif Çağatay Kılıç met with Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in Washington.
Ankara expects this visit to open a new page in Turkey-US relations. The goal of the Erdoğan administration is to increase the 40 billion dollar trade volume between the two countries to 100 billion dollars. In addition, the lifting of CAATSA sanctions and Turkey's readmission to the F-35 fighter jet program are also among the important agenda items.