Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Ankara is making efforts to resume negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and expects NATO to take more responsibility for transatlantic security, the Anadolu Agency reported, citing a statement from the Turkish Presidency's Communications Directorate, BTA reports.
According to the statement during today's meeting between Erdogan and Rutte, which took place today at the Beştepe Presidential Palace in Ankara behind closed doors, the two made a comprehensive review of preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara in early July. The Directorate's statement also stated that Erdogan stated that Ankara is actively working to resume negotiations between Kiev and Moscow.
„The Turkish president also stated that maintaining the transatlantic relationship is of utmost importance and that Turkey expects the European pillar of the Alliance to take on greater responsibility, stressing that excluding European allies who are not members of the European Union from the Union's defense initiatives will not achieve this goal“, the Directorate's statement also said.
The meeting in Ankara was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, and President Erdogan's Chief Foreign Policy and Security Advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
Rutte's visit comes as preparations are already underway in Ankara for the upcoming NATO summit on July 7-8, which will take place at a time of increasing conflicts around the world, a growing need for increasing defense spending and discussions on the future of NATO. The meeting is expected to be attended by around 6,000 people, including heads of state and senior representatives of member states.
The NATO Secretary General assured earlier today during a visit to the headquarters of the Turkish company “Aselsan“ (Aselsan), one of the giants in the Turkish defense industry, that the Alliance will always do what is necessary to protect Turkey and its other members.
“Iran sows terror and chaos, and this is strongly felt here in Turkey. In recent weeks, NATO has successfully intercepted four Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at Turkey,” he recalled, stating that the Alliance is fully prepared for such situations.
Rutte also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan earlier, and this meeting also took place behind closed doors.