Turkey anticipates Trump's attendance at NATO summit in Ankara

Ankara - Turkey has prepared for the NATO summit in Ankara in July, anticipating US President Donald Trump’s attendance. “So far, all preparations have been made with President Trump’s attendance in mind,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in an interview with Nikkei Asia broadcast on Saturday 30 May. The NATO summit is scheduled to take place on 7-8 July. Turkish diplomatic sources told RIA Novosti that Ankara hopes Trump will attend the summit, though there is no confirmation of his participation yet. Fidan added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken with Trump several times in the past month. According to Fidan, Turkey also wants to host leaders and defence ministers from Indo-Pacific NATO partner nations, particularly Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, if all alliance members agree. Turkey is currently discussing the agenda with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.