Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements before his departure to the United States on Tuesday.
Key points from President Erdoğan’s speech:
“At the summit, we will hold consultations to strengthen NATO’s defense structure. Our summit holds special significance due to the 75th anniversary of NATO’s founding.”
WE WILL DRAW ATTENTION TO THE INCREASING TERROR THREAT
”Our expectation from the summit is to achieve outcomes that consider our national security sensitivities and protect the alliance. It is crucial to remove obstacles in the defense industry. In the discussions, we will draw attention to the increasing terror threat worldwide. We will emphasize the need to enhance NATO’s efforts. We maintain our principled stance to prevent NATO from becoming a party to the conflict in Ukraine. Every day that weapons are used demonstrates how accurately we have positioned ourselves.”
EMPHASIS ON GAZA
”Türkiye is one of the top five countries contributing the most to NATO’s missions and operations. Our capabilities and resources make us one of the backbone countries of NATO. We will bring the massacres in Gaza, where our shared values are being put to a sincerity test, to the agenda. We will emphasize that the international community has been insufficient in stopping Israel. I will also address these issues in bilateral meetings.” Erdoğan said.
