Erdogan Expects Bilateral Talks With Trump During NATO Summit in Turkey
Key Developments Ahead of the Ankara NATO Summit
Anticipated Meeting Between Erdogan and Trump
ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he would "most likely" hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump when the U.S. leader comes to Ankara for a NATO summit next month.
Summit Details and International Participation
NATO Leaders and Partners Attending
Turkey will host 32 NATO leaders, as well as officials from the alliance's partners in the Gulf and Asia-Pacific region, on July 7-8 amid tensions within the alliance over burden-sharing, defence spending, and U.S. complaints over allies' involvement on re-opening the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Iran war.
Significance of Trump's Attendance
Erdogan has previously said Trump's attendance at the summit was important to show unity within the alliance.
Prospects for Bilateral Talks
Potential Separate Meeting
Asked by reporters in parliament if the two leaders planned to meet separately outside of the summit on July 7-8, he said "it will most likely happen", but did not elaborate further.
Turkey-U.S. Relations and Regional Cooperation
Strengthening Ties and Resolving Disputes
The two leaders have forged a close relationship since Trump returned to the White House in 2024, increasing cooperation on a range of regional issues and resolving some outstanding disputes like Turkish state lender Halkbank's sanctions-evasion case.
Summit Agenda and Strategic Goals
Focus on Burden-Sharing and Defence Spending
Burhanettin Duran, Erdogan's communications director, told representatives of Turkish media in Ankara that burden-sharing would be among the key agenda points at the Ankara summit.
Turkey's Defence Spending Targets
"The changing security architecture is pushing NATO allies to re-evaluate their defence spending. In that framework, Turkey aims to reach the 3.5% + 1.5% target by the end of 2030," Duran said, according to a readout of his comments on Wednesday.
Participation of Regional Partners
Representatives of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, a partnership forum with some Middle Eastern countries, as well as Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Australia - known as the Indo-Pacific Four - will also attend the summit at the foreign ministers level.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever and Jonathan Spicer; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler and Louise Heavens)
