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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met in Ankara on Wednesday to discuss preparations for the upcoming NATO leaders' summit, along with key items on the alliance's agenda and a range of regional and global developments.
The meeting, confirmed by Türkiye's Communications Directorate, comes as NATO allies accelerate preparations for a summit to be held in the Turkish capital, which is expected to address some of the most pressing security challenges facing the 32-member alliance.
Erdogan told Rutte that the volatile regional environment has made clear, once again, how vital solidarity and cooperation among NATO allies remain. He said Türkiye expects the Ankara summit to produce decisions that reinforce unity among member states and bolster the alliance's readiness to respond to crises.
The Turkish president also highlighted Türkiye's expanding defense industry, noting particular progress in air defense systems. He said Ankara aims to deepen cooperation with allied nations in that domain going forward.
On the future shape of the alliance, Erdogan stressed that the trans-Atlantic bond is indispensable and called on the European pillar of NATO to take on greater responsibility. He cautioned, however, that excluding non-European Union members from the bloc's defense initiatives would undermine the initiative's broader purpose, a pointed reference to the growing tension between NATO's formal membership and the EU's parallel efforts to develop an independent European defense architecture.
Erdogan also addressed two of the most combustible flashpoints in the alliance's neighborhood. On the conflict triggered by attacks on Iran, he underlined that Türkiye has aligned itself firmly with peace and diplomacy throughout the process. On the Russia-Ukraine war, he said Türkiye remains actively engaged in efforts to reach a peaceful settlement, working to revive negotiations and open the door to talks at the level of heads of state.
The two leaders also held what officials described as a comprehensive review of the logistical and political preparations for the NATO Ankara Summit.
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