Turkish President Erdogan meets Dutch Premier Rutte at NATO summit


VILNIUS, Lithuania 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the ongoing NATO summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

The closed-door meeting took place at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre (LITEXPO), the venue of the two-day NATO meeting that began on Tuesday.

The meeting was also attended by delegations accompanying the leaders of the two countries. The Turkish delegation included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, and Akif Cagatay Kilic, the chief adviser to Erdogan.

Earlier in the day, Erdogan met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The 31 leaders of the military alliance are meeting 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.

• Mark Rutte
• NATO
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan
• The Netherlands
• Turkiye