Turkish President Erdogan attends NATO's 75th anniversary celebration

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the celebration for NATO's 75th anniversary in the US on Tuesday.

Thirty-two NATO allies gathered in Washington, D.C. for a three-day summit in which the ongoing war in Ukraine is expected to be the main focus.

NATO Heads of Government posed for a picture as they attend the event at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, where NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US President Joe Biden delivered remarks.

Biden also awarded Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the event.

During the ceremony, a video containing images of different events such as the Second World War, the establishment of NATO, the Bosnian War, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the Russia-Ukraine War was shown.

On Wednesday, after a welcoming ceremony by Stoltenberg and Biden, the NATO leaders will pose for a family photo.

Erdogan will attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the heads of state and government level, where Stoltenberg and Biden will deliver opening remarks.

Before leaving Ankara for the US, Erdogan said Tuesday that Türkiye's expectations for the summit are to obtain results that pay heed to allies’ sensitivities about national security and strengthen the alliance’s spirit of unity and solidarity.

Since it was founded on April 4, 1949 in Washington with 12 founding members, the alliance has expanded to 32 members.

Türkiye joined the alliance in 1952.