President Erdoğan held bilateral meetings with leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as part of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit. On the first day of the summit, President Erdoğan met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on 9 July, and on 10 July he met with Greek Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotakis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz.

On the last day of the summit, President Erdoğan held bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. President Erdoğan also chatted with many leaders at the sessions and meetings organised within the scope of the summit. Making statements about the Russia-Ukraine war at the NATO Leaders Summit, President Erdoğan said: "As allies, we are taking a stance in favour of international law in the face of the Russia-Ukraine war that has been going on for nearly two and a half years. Turkey has been intensively continuing its efforts to end this war, the devastating effects of which we all feel together and which jeopardises our common security, since the first day."

THERE IS NO REASONABLE, LOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR THE FACT THAT THERE ARE STILL OBSTACLES AND RESTRICTIONS IN DEFENCE INDUSTRY TRADE

Stating that the issues concerning the defence of the alliance were discussed on the first day of the summit, President Erdoğan said, "In the first session of the summit, we thoroughly discussed the issues concerning the defence of the Alliance. While the 75-year-old Washington Treaty and the decisions taken at previous summits are obvious, there is no reasonable, logical explanation for the fact that there are still some obstacles and restrictions in the defence industry trade between the allies. We expect solidarity from our allies in the fight against terrorism, one of the two main threats identified by NATO. It is not possible for us to accept the distorted relationship that some of our allies have established with the PYD-YPG, the Syrian extension of the terrorist organisation PKK. I repeat my call to abandon these erroneous policies that harm the unity and integrity of the alliance."

"IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT TO MAINTAIN ITS PARTNERSHIP RELATIONSHIP WITH NATO"

Emphasising the current situation in Gaza and the impossibility of maintaining Israel's partnership relationship with NATO, President Erdoğan said: "In all my contacts, I drew attention to the ongoing atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza. It is not possible for the Israeli administration, which tramples on the fundamental values of our Alliance, to maintain a partnership relationship with NATO. Until comprehensive and sustainable peace is established in the Palestinian territories, Turkey will not approve any attempts to co-operate with Israel at NATO. It is important that responsible members of the international community join hands for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. As Turkey, we are ready to take all kinds of initiatives, including guarantorship, to first declare a ceasefire and then to ensure a lasting peace. I call on all our allies to increase their pressure on the Netanyahu administration to ensure a ceasefire and the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, who have been tested by hunger for 9 months."

President Erdoğan thanked Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO Leaders' Summit and said: "During our talks, we focused on ways to improve our bilateral relations with our allies as well as our cooperation within NATO. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my dear friend, Secretary General Stoltenberg, who has been working hard to preserve the unity and solidarity of the Alliance since 2014. Mr Stoltenberg, who has been working closely with me and our authorities, has won the appreciation of everyone with his selfless work and successful services. I wish Mr Rutte, the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and the new Secretary General of NATO, success in the challenging task he will undertake. I trust that Mr Rutte will observe the interests and sensitivities of the allies."