After the official welcoming ceremony held at the Beştepe Complex in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump held a bilateral meeting at the Presidential Palace. Later, both leaders appeared before journalists.
Modern.az reports, citing "Milliyet", that Erdoğan said in his speech:
"Mr. Trump's visit has given us additional strength. I say 'welcome' to him. I want to emphasize how important this visit is. The fact that the NATO Leaders' Summit is being held in Ankara today and world leaders are gathering in our country is an important event for Turkey."
Later, Trump said:
"If it weren't for Erdoğan, I wouldn't have come to the NATO summit. We are very good friends. Erdoğan is doing a great job. The roads are new, you are gaining respect all over the world. Our relations are very good, we have chemistry with Erdoğan. Turkey is also a very strong country militarily. I have great respect for Mr. Erdoğan. We will discuss issues that are in the interests of both countries. We will also talk about the Iran issue. We have many trade relations and successful projects with Turkey. It is an honor for us to be with you. We will eat very delicious food."
Trump also answered a question about the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey:
"We have to make a decision on the F-35 issue. This is a decision we have to make. We have very good relations with Turkey. F-35s are magnificent. This is an issue we can consider."
Commenting on the F-35 topic, Erdoğan noted:
"The F-35 issue is not new to us. We have discussed it with the US before. We have received a promise regarding five aircraft. Mr. Trump also has a separate word on this issue. I believe that we will see a positive outcome of the promises made earlier in the meeting we will hold with the leaders. Trump is a person who always stands by his word. I think a positive decision will come out of the summit."
