Turkey is hosting a historic NATO Summit in Ankara, marking the country’s first NATO summit in 22 years. On the second day of the high-level meeting, world leaders are heading to Beştepe, the Presidential Complex in the Turkish capital.
More than 40 countries, representing a combined economic size of around 70 trillion dollars, are gathering in Ankara for one of the most important diplomatic events of the year.
As part of the summit, a major defence industry forum is also being held. Several memorandums of understanding and cooperation agreements are expected to be signed during the forum, with defence production, technology, investment and security cooperation among the key topics.
What Happened on the First Day?
Security was extremely tight across Ankara on the first day of the summit. With the arrival of world leaders, security measures were raised to the highest level.
The areas around the hotels where leaders are staying were declared restricted security zones. Authorities deployed a total of 56,927 personnel for summit security, including 48,841 police officers, 7,447 gendarmerie personnel and 639 cybersecurity staff.
A Historic Erdoğan-Trump Meeting
On the first day of the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with U.S. President Donald Trump at Beştepe.
Before the critical meeting, both sides gave messages of possible progress on long-standing issues between Turkey and the United States. Trump said sanctions on Turkey would be lifted and signaled a positive approach to the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets and jet engines.
President Erdoğan said the talks would also cover major regional issues, including Iran and Gaza.
After their public remarks, Erdoğan and Trump first held a one-on-one meeting. The two leaders then continued with a meeting between their delegations. Key issues on the agenda included sanctions, trade relations, the Russia-Ukraine war and the latest developments in the Middle East.
Leaders and Their Spouses Welcomed at Beştepe
President Erdoğan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan welcomed leaders and their spouses at the entrance before the official reception and dinner.
The welcoming ceremony included flags representing the 16 historic Turkish states, soldiers in ceremonial uniforms and troops dressed in Janissary-style clothing. The Turkish Ministry of National Defence’s Mehter Band was also present, welcoming leaders with traditional Ottoman military music.
The Ankara summit is being closely watched around the world as NATO leaders discuss defence, security, regional conflicts and the future of transatlantic cooperation.
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