Turkish, US presidents discuss bilateral ties, security cooperation at NATO summit

By Faruk Zorlu and Esra Tekin

ANKARA (AA) – In a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden addressed several topics, including bilateral ties, security cooperation, and regional issues.

"We discussed our bilateral relations and the possibilities of cooperation in the security field during our meeting," Erdogan said on Twitter, expressing hope for a positive outcome of the bilateral contacts.

Separately, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said on Twitter that "during the meeting, political, economic, and commercial relations between Türkiye and the US, cooperation opportunities in security and regional issues were discussed."

On Tuesday, the 31 NATO leaders convened for a two-day summit in Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, to discuss the Ukraine war, Sweden's NATO membership, and steps to strengthen the group's defense and deterrence, among other issues.

Türkiye has been a NATO member for over 70 years, and boasts its second-largest army.