President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan hosted a reception and official state dinner late on July 7 in honor of heads of state and government and their spouses attending the 36th NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Held at the winter garden section of the presidential complex, the reception brought together leaders from NATO member countries, as well as the Asia-Pacific Four (AP4) partners — Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea — and invited heads of state and government.
Erdoğan and the first lady welcomed the leaders and their spouses on the steps of the Beştepe complex’s main building, greeting each guest individually before posing for commemorative photographs.
Erdoğan also had brief conversations with some leaders during the photo session. Guests at the reception were served dishes from Turkish cuisine.
During the arrival of leaders, the Turkish army’s military band performed traditional marches.
Trump appeared to enjoy the performance, giving a thumbs-up in appreciation as the band played.
The summit in Ankara brought together leaders of the 32-member alliance as well as key partners to discuss Europe’s defense capacity, the alliance’s defense spending targets, military modernization and continued support for Ukraine.
The Ankara meeting marks the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye, following the 2004 Istanbul summit.
Earlier on July 7, Erdoğan separately met with Trump, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
On July 8, the Turkish president delivered the opening speech of the summit. Later, Erdoğan and other NATO leaders posed for a family photo.
