Trump’s presence to add weight to Ankara NATO summit – Turkish FM

The participation of US President Donald Trump in the upcoming NATO summit scheduled for July 7–8 in Ankara will help address a range of key internal challenges within the alliance, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated.

“Preparation [for the summit] is in full swing. The most important issue is how the nuances in the American and European positions on NATO will manifest. There are very important issues that cannot be resolved without the participation of the President of the United States in the summit,” the minister said in comments to the newspaper Türkiye following his visit to Russia on June 16–17.

“We are facing very important issues. In this regard, the summit in Ankara represents an excellent opportunity to resolve them,” Fidan added.

Earlier reports indicated that security levels in Ankara will be raised to maximum ahead of the summit. Around 70,000 personnel from Turkish security forces will be deployed. Türkiye’s air defence systems will be placed on high alert, while the country’s air force will remain in constant readiness. A multi-layered security structure will be established across Ankara, including the use of UAVs and counter-drone systems.

Participants of the 36th NATO summit, along with leaders from nine non-member states, are expected to arrive in the Turkish capital via the new Ankara Airport (formerly the Etimesgut military airbase), located a few kilometres from the presidential complex in Beştepe, where the meeting will take place. In total, around 6,000 participants are expected to attend.

Türkiye last hosted a NATO summit in Istanbul in 2004.

By Jeyhun Aghazada