VIDEO / NATO Summit: Rama arrives in Ankara, meets Mark Rutte

Prime Minister Edi Rama has arrived in Ankara for the second day of the NATO Summit, where discussions are expected to focus on the main security issues and the challenges facing the Alliance.

The prime minister met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The meeting took place as part of the summit proceedings, where leaders of member states are discussing strengthening cooperation within the Alliance.

During his stay in the Turkish capital, Rama is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Թուրքիայի President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

For the past two days, Ankara has opened its doors to the NATO summit, hosting the leaders of the 32 member countries of the largest military alliance. Yesterday’s talks focused on investment and strengthening the military defense industry for the countries.

Among the main topics is expected to be the situation in Ukraine and the 70 billion euro aid package that European allies are expected to formalize in Ankara, to ensure support for Kyiv over the next two years.

The day will begin with speeches by Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders upon their arrival, followed by the official welcome ceremony, the traditional family photo and, at 11:15 a.m. local time (10:25 a.m. CET), the meeting of the North Atlantic Council.

The summit will conclude with Rutte’s final press conference in the afternoon. This will be followed by leaders’ press conferences, while U.S. President Donald Trump’s is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

In a meeting with President Tayyip Erdogan, Trump said he might have completely boycotted the NATO summit if he had not had warm relations with the Turkish leader, and he did not rule out further troop withdrawals from Europe.