Hakan Fidan explains: Is Trump coming to Turkey?
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has made statements regarding the process concerning whether US President Donald Trump will attend the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara in July.
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Minister Hakan Fidan shared the latest developments with the public regarding the participation of US President Donald Trump in the NATO Summit, which will be hosted by Ankara on July 7-8. Fidan stated that Trump is expected to attend the summit and that planning in this direction is ongoing.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Fidan said they are aware that Trump plans to come to Ankara for the NATO summit, stating, "As far as we know, yes, he plans to attend." Minister Fidan also emphasized that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has spoken with Donald Trump several times over the past month. He noted that during these discussions, the topic of the NATO Summit was addressed, and that US President Trump expressed each time that he would attend the summit.
NO CHANGE IN US COMMITMENT TO NATO
Minister Fidan stated that there has been no change in the US policy of commitment to the Alliance and that the country has shown no concrete plans regarding a withdrawal from NATO. Fidan pointed out that the US continues its persistent stance on NATO member countries increasing their defense spending and strengthening their security responsibilities.
"The US is constantly pressuring allies to increase their defense spending and take greater responsibility for their own security. The Europeans have received the message and have already taken steps to increase their defense budgets within NATO. We will review the progress made when the leaders come together," he said.
With Minister Fidan's statements, eyes in the international arena have turned to US President Donald Trump and the high-level meeting to be held in Ankara ahead of the NATO Summit. Topics such as defense budgets and alliance security are expected to be at the forefront of the summit.