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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump with an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara as the 2026 NATO Summit opened, placing modern protocol troops, historical guards and Ottoman military music in the same ceremonial frame.
The red-uniformed group represents Mehter, the Ottoman military music tradition associated with army ceremony and Janissary culture. In today’s Türkiye, it appears as a ceremonial heritage unit rather than an active combat force.
Mehter music is used in state and military settings to call back to older Turkish and Ottoman martial culture. The modern Mehter Band was re-established in 1952 after research into the tradition that had been abolished with the Janissary organization in 1826.
The light-blue soldiers represent the modern ceremonial face of the Turkish state. They are linked to the Presidential Guard Regiment’s protocol role at official welcoming, farewell, national holiday and commemoration ceremonies.
In official welcomes at the Presidential Complex, military music and guard formations mark the visiting leader’s arrival. The Presidential Guard Regiment’s band prepares foreign national anthems before such ceremonies, making music a formal part of diplomatic protocol.
The historically dressed soldiers and flags represent the 16 historic Turkic or Turkish states used in official symbolism. Anadolu Agency reported that these figures are linked to the 16 stars on the Presidential Standard.
The 16-costume guard tradition first appeared in this form at the Presidential Complex in 2015 and has continued during official welcomes. Their costumes were prepared after research, while their exact position can change according to ceremony planning.
Similar protocol, including cavalry escort, national anthems, honor guards, flags and soldiers representing the 16 states, has been used for other visiting leaders at the Presidential Complex.
The Ankara ceremony placed the honor guard and historical performers along the leaders’ route before formal talks. The arrangement brought together state protocol, military discipline and heritage symbolism in one official welcome.
For international audiences, the soldiers should be read as three separate elements: the modern Turkish honor guard, the Ottoman-style Mehter musicians and the 16-state historical symbolism of the Presidential Standard. Together, they show how Türkiye combines current diplomacy with official references to older state traditions.
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