Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Washington to attend NATO Leaders' Summit in the US capital on July 9-11.
Washington is hosting the three-day summit where 32 NATO allies will make key decisions about how to continue to protect their 1 billion citizens as the world faces "the most dangerous" security environment since the Cold War, as well as mark the 75th anniversary of the alliance.
The leaders will exchange views on the organisation's efforts for deterrence and defence in the face of challenges and risks to the alliance's geography, as well as the situation in Ukraine and assistance for that country.
Terrorism, one of the main threats to the alliance, will also be discussed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, EU representatives, and leaders of NATO's partners in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, will attend relevant sessions.
Türkiye's expectations
Erdogan will attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the heads of state and government level, where Stoltenberg and Biden will deliver opening remarks.
Before leaving for the US, Erdogan said on Tuesday that Türkiye's expectations for the summit are to obtain results that pay heed to allies’ sensitivities about national security and strengthen the spirit of unity and solidarity of the alliance.
"During our talks, we will draw attention to the rising threat of terror in the world, first and foremost in nearby regions. We will underscore the importance of stepping up NATO’s efforts to put up a determined and holistic fight against terrorist groups," he told reporters.
Stressing that Türkiye is one of the top five NATO allies in contributions to its missions and operations, Erdogan said his country is doing more than its share.
Erdogan will also hold bilateral meetings with participating heads of state and government on the margins of the summit, including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was appointed to lead NATO beginning Oct. 1.
The president said he would bring up the "ongoing massacres" against Palestinian people in Gaza.
"We will stress that the international community has failed to stop Israel in the face of this grave picture, and that it's impossible for the global conscience to breathe a sigh of relief unless a just and lasting peace is established in Palestine" said Erdogan, adding that he will also discuss Ankara's assessments during bilateral meetings with the leaders of the allied countries.
Since it was founded April 4, 1949, in Washington, with 12 founding members, the alliance has expanded to 32 members. Türkiye, a member of the alliance for more than 72 years, joined in 1952.
NATO's defence structure
Erdogan said they will hold consultations at the summit to boost NATO's deterrence and defence structure and to strengthen the capabilities and capabilities of the allies. "Our summit has a special meaning as it falls on the 75th anniversary of NATO's establishment."
"We will follow up on the decisions we took in Vilnius last year. On this occasion, with the participation of representatives of the European Union in a session, we will meet with NATO partners in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand at the leaders' level."
Noting that the last session of the summit will be held in the format of the NATO-Ukraine Council, Erdogan said: "Our expectation from the summit is to achieve results that take into account the national security sensitivities of the allies and strengthen the alliance solidarity and the spirit of unity.
"The implementation of the decisions we took in Vilnius on the fight against terrorism and the removal of barriers to defence industry trade between the allies is important in this respect. In our meetings, we will draw attention to the increasing terrorist threat in the world, especially in our immediate neighbourhood. We will also underline the need to increase NATO's efforts for a decisive and holistic fight against terrorist organisations."
He added: "Türkiye's commitment to and support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence is well known. While designing the steps to be taken to support Ukraine, we also maintain our principled stance that NATO should not be made a party to the war. We have stated from day one that a just peace will have no losers.''
"To this end, we have shouldered responsibility from the very beginning, starting with the Istanbul process, to first secure a ceasefire and then to pave the way to a lasting peace. Every day of gunfire, bloodshed, and loss of life shows that we are on the right track."
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