His Secretary General, Mark Rute, met today in Ankara with Turkish President, Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan and Defence Minister Yasar Guler. The meeting lasted an hour and the NATO chief discussed with Erdogan issues about the war in Ukraine, ahead of Donald Trump’s taking over the US presidency. After all, Turkey claimed an intermediary role in ending the war and President Erdogan had yesterday Sunday (24.11.2024) telephone contact with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Mustafa Kamaci/PPO/Handout via REUTERS A few days ago, Mr. Erdogan stated that “Ukraine’s attack on Russia with ballistic missiles is in great danger. ” During Rute’s meetings in Ankara, the Turkish side also raised a question for the Syrian Kurds, which the United States supports and which Turkey identifies with the PKK organisation and terrorism, but also the conflicts in the Middle East. Ankara has also requested, once again, the lifting of restrictions on the sale of defence material by certain allied countries. Mustafa Kamaci/PPO/Handout via REUTERS What the Turkish Presidency announced: “President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed NATO Secretary General Mark Rute to presidential palace. During the meeting, issues such as the Ukraine and Russia war and what can be done to end the massacre in Palestine, the common steps to be taken to combat terrorism, the hospitality of the NATO Summit by Turkey in 2026, the solidarity of NATO allies with Turkey in supplying defence industry materials and Turkey’s contribution to NATO as an ally. Mustafa Kamaci/PPO/Handout via REUTERS During the meeting, President Erdogan thanked NATO Secretary General Rute for the messages of solidarity with Turkey after the terrorist attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI). It is recalled that Ankara supported the Rute nomination for the position of NATO Secretary General. Mr. Rute for his part appears very cautious in his statements regarding Turkey and Ankara was in his first three destinations in the cycle of his first official visits launched by the United States and Britain.”
Erdogan and Rute discussed the war in Ukraine, PKK and the lifting of the arms embargo by allied countries
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