Erdogan to attend NATO summit in Brussels

By Sorwar Alam

ANKARA (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend a NATO leaders’ summit this week in Brussels, the Turkish presidency confirmed on Tuesday.

The presidency said Erdogan would lead Turkey's delegation and join the opening ceremony for the new NATO headquarters on Thursday.

“The international community is expected to exchange views on strengthening the role of NATO in the fight against terrorism, during the meeting,” Tuesday's statement read.

NATO leaders will also gather at a working dinner where the implementation of the previous Wales and Warsaw summits are to be revised.

The Turkish presidency also said NATO-Russia relations, its rules of engagement in Afghanistan, NATO-EU cooperation and some other regional and global issues would be discussed.

During his official visit to the Belgian capital, Erdogan will meet some of his foreign counterparts on the summit's sidelines.

Erdogan is also scheduled to hold a meeting with EU Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prior to the summit.

They will discuss the current situation of Turkey-EU relations and possible upcoming steps toward Turkey’s accession to the bloc, the presidency added.