Turkey’s foreign minister said Tuesday that the hardest part of preparing for this week’s NATO summit in Ankara was securing US President Donald Trump’s attendance, framing his presence as central to efforts to manage strains between Washington and European allies over defense spending and the future of the alliance.
Hakan Fidan made the remarks at an event on European security organized in Ankara by the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Center for Strategic Research and Chatham House after the summit, according to diplomatic sources cited by Turkish media.
Fidan said the toughest stage of the summit preparations was persuading Trump to attend and that the hardest part had been overcome.
He argued that tensions between the United States and Europe would not turn into an uncontrolled crisis at the meeting and that Trump’s presence would help NATO manage disagreements.
The summit opened Tuesday at the Beştepe presidential complex and runs through Wednesday, bringing leaders from NATO’s 32 members to Turkey for the first time since the alliance’s 2004 summit in İstanbul.
NATO has presented the Ankara meeting under the theme “A Stronger Europe in a Stronger NATO.” The gathering comes as Washington presses European allies and Canada to take on more of the defense burden and as many European governments seek reassurance that the United States remains committed to the alliance’s collective defense clause.
Fidan said NATO should not remain an organization that only reacts to current threats, adding that the alliance needs a longer-term security vision and should build capacity for the coming period.
He also warned that European security cannot be reduced to the European Union, saying Turkey and the United Kingdom should be part of defense cooperation because of their defense industries.
Turkey is not an EU member but has NATO’s second largest army after the United States. Ankara has long argued that European defense initiatives should not exclude NATO allies that are outside the EU, a dispute that has shaped talks on procurement, industrial projects and access to security programs.
Fidan said Turkey supported Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity while keeping channels open with Russia, describing both as necessary for European security.
The Ankara summit has focused on Ukraine, defense spending, military production and NATO’s Article 5 commitment that an attack on one ally is an attack on all. NATO leaders are also seeking to show unity as Trump pushes allies to increase defense spending and questions parts of the alliance’s traditional role.
Fidan’s remarks followed an interview in which he said Turkey hoped President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s relationship with Trump could help ease tensions inside NATO.
“It is just a matter of trust for Mr. Trump, and friendship,” Fidan told The New York Times, according to the Anadolu news agency. He added that Turkey intended to use that relationship “for the benefit of the greater good, for the entire NATO family.”
The summit has also attracted attention to Turkey’s domestic record. Authorities in Ankara have banned demonstrations, closed roads and set up barricades ahead of the meeting.
Scores were detained during protests against NATO in the run-up to the summit, while other police operations ahead of the summit have targeted journalists, activists, academics and political party members.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, asked Monday about the detentions and restrictions, said democracy meant more than elections and included the right to protest and media freedom.