President Donald Trump’s arrival in Ankara, Turkey, for the annual NATO summit was marked by a full-on celebration led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
As Trump deplaned Tuesday afternoon local time at Etimesgut Air Base, he was met with a turquoise carpet, akin to the red carpet used in the United States to welcome dignitaries, along with Erdogan and members of the Turkish military who waited to greet him. Trump shook Erdogan’s hand and gave him a squeeze on his shoulder before they posed for photos. They briefly chatted, although the press could not hear the conversation.
An hour later, Trump and Erdogan appeared together again at the Bestepe Presidential Complex, where a more elaborate greeting was planned for the American president.
There was another turquoise carpet that the two leaders walked down together as a brass band with drums played several musical selections, including “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Soldiers in formal dress lined both sides of the blue carpet, cannons blasted off in honor of Trump, and four red fighter jets took off trailing red, white, and blue smoke, the American flag colors, during the arrival ceremony.
Trump and Erdogan shook hands, and later on, Trump gave a brief salute to the band.
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At a bilateral conference, Trump praised Erdogan, who he claimed was the main reason he even attended the NATO summit this week.
“As everybody knows, it’s been very much reported, we are great friends,” said Trump. “The president has done an incredible job, just landing at the airport to see such a beautiful airport, and to have a building named after me, I was very happy about that. It was very nice. The airport is absolutely beautiful.”