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Antalya is hosting the NATO foreign ministers' informal meeting, bringing together top diplomats from all 32 member states.
The gathering kicks off Wednesday with a reception hosted by Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and will feature NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio among other high-level officials.
The informal meeting will continue Thursday with sessions at the NEST Congress Center in Belek.
All 32 NATO allies will be represented at this diplomatic gathering, which aims to provide additional opportunities for exchange of views among allied ministers ahead of upcoming NATO summits.
The meeting will address preparations for the NATO heads of state and government summit scheduled for June 24-25 in The Hague, Netherlands. Key agenda items include the future of European security and efforts to review burden-sharing in trans-Atlantic security.
Minister Fidan is expected to emphasize the importance of making NATO stronger, more effective, and more deterrent as the backbone of Euro-Atlantic security for 76 years. He is anticipated to stress that strengthening alliance solidarity and unity should be at the center of these efforts.
Additionally, Fidan is expected to highlight Türkiye's determination to continue contributing to Euro-Atlantic security with its strong military, modern military capabilities, and advanced defense industry infrastructure, while also taking on more responsibility.
The Turkish foreign minister is also expected to underscore that proper participation of non-EU allies like Türkiye in the European Union's defense efforts is essential, given Türkiye's weight and position in processes related to the future of European security.
During the meeting, Türkiye plans to express its commitment to investing more in defense and further developing its modern capabilities, as a country whose defense spending exceeds NATO's criterion of 2% of gross domestic product.
The country will also emphasize the critical importance of completely removing barriers to defense industry cooperation and trade among allies to develop crucial capabilities, which is the main purpose of defense spending.
Minister Fidan is expected to address the necessity of ending the Russia-Ukraine war, establishing peace and stability in regions adjacent to the alliance and in the Middle East, and demonstrating genuine solidarity in the fight against terrorism, in line with the "360-degree security" approach.
The foreign minister will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts during the event. The informal meeting of foreign ministers will conclude Thursday.
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