Turkish president stresses importance of alliance ahead of NATO summit

The Turkish president on Sunday stressed the importance of alliance ahead of Monday’s NATO summit, reports Anadolu Agency.

“We will participate in an important summit where decisions will be taken regarding the NATO 2030 process, which will determine the alliance’s roadmap for the next ten years,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters before his departure for Brussels.

“Turkey will once again underline the importance of alliances with its allies,” Erdogan said, adding Turkey does not only protect its borders but also NATO’s borders.

Erdogan said a wide range of issues, including bilateral ties, will be discussed during his meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

He said although Turkey fulfills its promises regarding the purchase of F-35 jets, the US failed to do it.

READ: Biden looking forward to reviewing ‘full breadth’ of US-Turkish ties

In 2019, Washington announced it was taking Turkey out of the F-35 stealth fighter jet program over Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.

The US claimed that the Russian S-400 would compromise security on the F-35s, but Turkey said these fears were baseless and has repeatedly proposed setting up a commission to clarify the issue.

On Afghanistan, Erdogan said Turkey is the “only country that can be trusted to continue the process” after the US’ withdrawal from the country.

US sanctioning Turkey over the purchase of Russian missile – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]