World leaders are gathering in Ankara, Turkey for a Nato summit, despite tensions between Donald Trump and Nato allies over financial contributions and the Iran war.
The US president hasn’t hidden his consternation with European leaders, and has suggested he is only attending ‘out of respect to President Erdogan’.
Turkey’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come under criticism for a crackdown on dissent in the country, which has led to over 200 arrests of activists, journalists and public figures in the lead up to the summit. So how has he taken on such a pivotal role within Nato?
Tristan Redman from The Global Story speaks to BBC correspondent and presenter, Mark Lowen, who was based in Istanbul for five years, before he was detained and banned from the country while on a reporting trip last year.
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00:00 Introduction
02:27 Why Turkey is so committed to Nato
04:10 Being arrested for covering protests
07:40 The state of democracy and free speech in Turkey
09:01 Erdogan’s journey to presidency
10:50 2016’s attempted coup against Erdogan
15:25 Tensions with the United States
19:40 Erdogan’s relationship with Trump within Nato
23:34 The importance of this Nato summit for Turkey and the alliance
