On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Istanbul, US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan held a joint press conference on defense cooperation, F-35 aircraft, Iran and Gaza.
According to the international news agency, the US President said that the relationship between the US and Turkey is very strong. A decision on the possible sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets will be made soon.
On this occasion, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan also expressed hope that there will be positive progress during the NATO summit on the issue of purchasing F-35 stealth fighter jets.
President Trump said that Turkey is a reliable and loyal ally of the US, which is why many people ask why it should not be given F-35 aircraft. This decision has yet to be made.
He added that he will discuss various issues with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, including trade and defense cooperation.
President Trump praised the Turkish president, saying that he is a leader respected around the world and that Turkey’s military power has increased significantly under his leadership.
On the question of the sale of F-35 aircraft, Trump said that a decision in this regard is yet to be made, but there are excellent relations between the United States and Turkey.
On the other hand, President Erdogan said that the issue of the F-35 program is not new and there have been many discussions between the two countries.
According to him, the United States had promised to provide Turkey with five F-35 aircraft and it is hoped that a positive decision will come out in this regard from the NATO meeting.
Talking about Iran-US relations, the Turkish president said that Ankara is making every effort to bring the two countries to the negotiating table and reduce differences.
He added that Turkey is playing an active role together with its allies to promote world peace.
Expressing his views on the situation in Gaza, Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey will continue its efforts to restore peace in the region.
He further said that the situation in the Middle East and the issue of Gaza are also being discussed at the NATO meeting and he hopes that positive results will be achieved in this regard.
Meanwhile, President Trump once again criticized the NATO alliance, saying that the allied countries did not support us during the American operation against Iran.
He raised the question that when America is always there for its allies, then why do NATO countries not support America on such occasions?
President Trump further said that America spends hundreds of billions of dollars on allies, yet they do not get the desired support.