President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a series of bilateral meetings with allied leaders on the opening day of the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara.
According to Presidency Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, during the meetings at the Presidential Complex, President Erdogan met with US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
The meetings addressed the development of bilateral relations and strengthening cooperation in defense industry, trade, energy, and security.
Duran stated that Erdogan once again demonstrated Turkey's resolute diplomatic stance for regional peace and stability during the talks. President Erdogan particularly called for achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, finding a solution through dialogue in the Russia-Ukraine war, and advancing the process on the Iran-US track.
Defense industry cooperation was noted as one of the prominent topics of the summit talks.
President Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan hosted a reception in honor of the leaders and their spouses attending the summit. It was stated that this gathering reinforced friendly dialogue among leaders and strengthened the spirit of solidarity among allies.
Duran emphasized that Turkey, under President Erdogan's leadership, will continue to increase cooperation with its allies and actively contribute to regional and international peace.
The 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government went down in history as the second NATO summit hosted by Turkey after the 2004 Istanbul Summit. It is stated that the summit holds particular importance in the context of the challenges facing the alliance and the global security system.