Is Turkey’s Erdogan Nato’s greatest asset? | The Global Story

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. Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news #BBCNews 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