Turkiye’s president arrives in Belgium for NATO summit

BRUSSELS

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived early Thursday in Brussels, Belgium, where he will attend the Extraordinary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government.

The Turkish leader is also being accompanied by a high-level delegation including Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.

The leaders will discuss the Russia-Ukraine war as well as measures to strengthen NATO's deterrence and defense structure.

Erdogan is expected to hold talks with participating leaders on the margins of the summit.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK among others implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 977 civilians have been killed during the war and 1,594 injured, according to UN estimates.

More than 3.6 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas