ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will seek to leverage the NATO summit to burnish his international credentials, analysts say, despite mounting scrutiny over a domestic crackdown on political opponents ahead of a presidential election. Hosting the July 7-8 summit offers Ankara a chance to underscore Turkiye’s role as a pivotal regional power and an intermediary between the United States and Europe, as geopolitical tensions rise.

Türkiye is positioned as a key intermediary not only between Moscow and Kyiv, but the whole NATO bloc

Turkey must be included in all of Europe’s defense and security structures, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday, a week ahead of a key NATO summit