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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the close relationship between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump could help the alliance overcome its internal differences at the NATO Ankara Summit, in an interview with The New York Times (NYT) published ahead of the July 7-8 meeting.
Fidan said Türkiye would try to use the Erdogan-Trump relationship to bridge divisions within the alliance, describing it as a matter of trust and friendship for Trump.
"Türkiye aims to use this friendship for a greater good and for the benefit of the entire NATO family," Fidan said.
Fidan said he expected the technical discussions at the NATO Ankara Summit to proceed smoothly despite the broader friction within the alliance.
"I don't see any problem," he said.
He noted that while there had been a great deal of public exchange, in practice, nothing had changed.
Fidan underlined that there is consensus between Türkiye and other European countries on the importance of the alliance.
"Nobody is questioning NATO's necessity," he said.
He said increasing defense cooperation within the European Union was not aligned with European countries' commitments to NATO, and stressed that Türkiye and Europe must see each other as vital to their collective security.
"We are also part of Europe and unless we come together in European geography and establish our security platform, we will never feel sufficiently secure," Fidan said.
On the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the U.S. and Iran, Fidan said both sides are serious about their final goals.
"In terms of political will, both sides are very serious about the ultimate objectives," he said.
Fidan noted that the signed memorandum leaves many contested details for future negotiations, including Iran's nuclear program, the lifting of sanctions on Iran and transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
Fidan said Türkiye is ready to facilitate new negotiations aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, but does not expect this to happen in the near term.
He said both Russia and Ukraine are willing to enter talks, but that U.S. influence on the process is needed.
Fidan said what matters for Ankara is that both sides show "real and sincere" intent and effort toward peace.
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