US President Donald Trump attended the NATO summit in Ankara only out of respect for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Modern.az reports that CNN reported this.
"I support Erdogan," Trump said, calling the Turkish president a "friend" and "respected leader." The US president also noted that the two countries could deepen cooperation in the field of defense.
The TV channel recalled that Trump had previously stated that he considered the Turkish leader his friend. A CNN source noted that the US President and his team members were told privately that refusing to attend the summit would be considered disrespectful to Erdogan.
At the same time, the US leader initially viewed the meeting with his allies with skepticism. The reason was his dissatisfaction with the fact that many NATO countries did not support the US in the war with Iran. In this regard, CNN sources said that they were not sure that the summit would go smoothly, given the President's "bad mood."
Trump will be in Ankara today. The Turkish side has prepared a high-level official welcoming ceremony for him.
According to local observers, Erdogan and Trump may hold a separate press conference after the talks.
The NATO summit will be held in Ankara on July 7-8. Trump will hold meetings with world leaders. Security issues and regional conflicts will be the main topics on the summit's agenda.
