Turkey’s Foreign Minister: Iran and U.S. Serious About Finalizing Objectives

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated in an interview with The New York Times prior to the NATO summit in Ankara that Ankara intends to leverage the close relationship between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump to help resolve differences within the NATO alliance.

Fidan asserted that the rapport between Erdoğan and Trump could contribute to de-escalating existing tensions within NATO, claiming that Trump’s relationship with Erdoğan is built on trust and friendship. He added that Turkey aims to utilize this friendship for the benefit of all NATO members.

Addressing Trump’s criticisms of NATO, the Turkish Foreign Minister expressed his expectation that the summit’s technical discussions would proceed without issues. “I see no problems in this regard,” he commented.

Fidan also indicated that increased defense cooperation within the European Union does not conflict with member states’ commitments to NATO, emphasizing that Turkey and Europe should recognize each other as fundamental pillars of their collective security. “We are also a part of Europe, and until we establish our common security platform together within the European geography, we will never feel completely secure,” he stated.

In another part of his remarks, the Turkish Foreign Minister discussed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the U.S. and Iran, asserting that both parties are demonstrating a strong political will to achieve their final objectives. He further noted that this MoU has postponed sensitive matters, including Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, the lifting of sanctions, and maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, to future negotiations.