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NATO Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Benedetta Berti said Türkiye is one of the alliance's strongest allies because of the resources it allocates to defense, its military capabilities and its contributions to NATO operations.
She also said Turkish lawmakers play an active role in the assembly's work.
Berti spoke to Turkish news agency Anadolu ahead of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, which will be held in Ankara on July 7-8, and the NATO Parliamentary Summit, which will be held in Istanbul on June 28-29.
Berti said NATO is at an important stage in its evolution.
"First of all, if we look at the security environment, as stated in the latest NATO Strategic Concept adopted by the allies in 2022, we are in the most complex and most dangerous security environment we have faced since the end of the Cold War," she said.
Berti said NATO is facing persistent hybrid threats, ranging from the war in Ukraine, sabotage and the cutting of undersea cables to destabilization campaigns. She added that instability also prevails across the surrounding region, from the Middle East to the alliance's eastern neighborhood.
However, Berti said NATO's posture is stronger than at any time since the end of the Cold War.
"Because we have new defense plans. Allies in Europe and Canada have invested an additional $1 trillion in defense since 2017. Therefore, the data show that we are getting stronger, but it is also a fact that the security environment is extremely fragile and volatile," she said.
Berti highlighted Türkiye's importance in the current security environment.
"Türkiye has been a NATO ally since 1952, that is, for more than 70 years. Therefore, it is one of the core members of the alliance. As NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also recalled during his visit to Türkiye, Türkiye spends more than 2% of its GDP on defense and has incredible defense capacity," she said.
Berti said the Turkish army is equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
"For the NATO alliance, cash and capabilities are incredibly important. When we look at contributions, we see that Türkiye makes significant contributions to many NATO missions and operations, from the Western Balkans to counterterrorism under the NATO Mission Iraq and to strengthening the deterrence and defense posture," she said.
"In NATO, we look at three basic criteria: resources, capabilities, and contributions. In all three of these areas, you can clearly see that Türkiye is a strong ally," she added.
Berti also pointed to interparliamentary cooperation.
"There is a very strong Turkish parliamentary delegation in the assembly. Turkish lawmakers actively participate in our work, and in fact, in a few days, we are going to Istanbul. There, hosted by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, we will hold a summit that will bring together all parliamentary speakers of NATO allies. This also shows how active a role Türkiye plays in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly," she said.
Berti said her main expectation from the Ankara Summit is a shift toward "implementation."
"First of all, in terms of implementing the historic decision taken by the allies last year to increase defense and security-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, the first test will be whether countries increase their defense budgets every year," she said.
"The first indicator of success in Ankara will be to show that we continue to invest more in defense. The second test will be not only spending more money but also turning these resources into concrete and complete military capabilities; in other words, it will be important to show that defense investments made are turning into stronger military capabilities," she added.
Berti said the summit will also address how the defense industry infrastructure across the transatlantic alliance can be further strengthened.
"I think the summit to be held in Türkiye, which has a strong defense industry ecosystem, will also send an important message in this respect. Finally, I think it will also be shown that support for Ukraine continues," she said.
Berti said every NATO summit also serves as a platform to demonstrate transatlantic unity and solidarity, adding that the issue will rank high on the agenda.
Berti said the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which has served as a bridge between NATO and member-state parliaments for 71 years, has a special role.
"Because, although NATO PA is institutionally separate from NATO, it was created to establish a link, through parliaments, between decisions taken at NATO and citizens. For the transatlantic alliance to remain strong, strong relations are needed not only between governments but also at the political level and among peoples. NATO PA undertakes exactly this task," she said.
The assembly has 281 members from 32 allied countries, with lawmakers representing the full political spectrum in their respective countries.
"They come together to build consensus, strengthen transatlantic ties and discuss security and defense issues. Today, this has become even more important because we are going through a historic period for NATO," Berti said.
Berti said decisions are made at summits but implemented in parliaments.
"Parliaments approve the budgets that will ensure the continuation of defense spending. Parliaments change procurement legislation so that defense capabilities can be acquired more quickly. Parliaments pass the laws that will support the defense industry. Therefore, parliaments have a central role in turning decisions taken at summits into reality. NATO PA also undertakes a very important task in this process," she said.
Berti said her position allows her to hear parliamentarians' views on the alliance's agenda.
"What I see is that all lawmakers in the NATO PA are aware of the importance of investing more in defense. They think that especially allies in Europe, Canada, the United Kingdom, Türkiye and Norway need to develop more capabilities in a way that will create a more balanced transatlantic relationship," she said.
Berti said lawmakers believe Europe can assume greater leadership in conventional deterrence and defense over time.
She also said parliamentarians understand the need for open, honest and sincere dialogue with citizens.
"We need to explain to the public why more defense investment is necessary. We must explain the threats and challenges we face. Sometimes we also have to talk about difficult choices because allocating more resources to defense may require sacrifices in other areas," she said.
"This is not an easy discussion, but the message I want to give is this: Without security and defense, there can be no prosperity, no economic growth and no peace. Therefore, we have no other option," she added.
Berti said defense investment can also be seen as a tool that supports the economy.
"We discuss all these issues in the assembly, but ultimately the matter is to be able to establish open, transparent and constructive communication with citizens," she said.
Berti also referred to the NATO Parliamentary Summit, which will begin Saturday in Istanbul under the leadership of Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus and last two days.
"NATO PA has been holding a separate parliamentary speakers' summit shortly before the NATO Summit for the last few years. At this meeting, we bring together the parliamentary speakers of NATO countries and assess what the decisions governments will take at the NATO Summit mean for parliaments," she said.
"This time, we will focus especially on what role parliaments will play in implementing the 5% defense investment target. How will parliaments support defense budgets? How will they pass the necessary laws? How will they create the appropriate environment to encourage the growth of the defense industry?" she added.
Berti said the main goal is to carry summit decisions to parliaments and assess with parliamentary speakers how they can contribute to implementing those decisions.
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