Newsletters
Slovakia's Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar and Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil separately praised Türkiye's regional role and defense industrial capacity ahead of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit set for Ankara on July 7-8, with both officials stressing that alliance unity will be the key measure of the summit's success.
"Türkiye plays a valuable role not only within NATO but also as an important regional actor linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia," Blanar told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) from Vienna.
"We greatly appreciate Türkiye's active diplomatic efforts and its endeavors to contribute to stability and dialogue in its broader region," Blanarnoted.
Blanar said the summit will offer NATO allies an important opportunity to discuss the fundamental security and geopolitical challenges they face today, noting that political dialogue and close cooperation are vital at a time when wars are ongoing in Ukraine and the Middle East and international uncertainty is growing.
He said the gathering should address not only defense and security issues but also wider matters including regional stability, energy security and conflict prevention.
"The success of the Ankara Summit should be measured by its ability to strengthen security, stability and cooperation among allies while also supporting efforts to find peaceful solutions to ongoing conflicts," Blanar said.
On Ukraine, Blanar said Slovakia supports all initiatives that can contribute to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, and believes any sustainable solution must be grounded in the principles of international law, state sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Blanar emphasized that diplomatic initiatives, dialogue and respect for international law remain indispensable tools for resolving conflicts and preventing escalation.
"We also believe that lasting security cannot be achieved through military means alone," he said, adding that Slovakia regards continued EU-Türkiye dialogue as an important investment in the security and stability of the broader region.
He highlighted strong potential for mutually beneficial cooperation between Slovak and Turkish companies in "every area of mutual interest" such as innovation, research and development, advanced technologies and industrial partnerships.
On the Defense Industry Forum to be held alongside the summit, Blanar said it would bring together governments, businesses and experts from alliance countries, fostering new partnerships and knowledge sharing.
"Slovakia hosted the Bratislava International Defense Exhibition in May and is actively contributing to these efforts," he said.
Blanar said the transatlantic partnership remains a fundamental pillar of European and global security, and while discussions over burden-sharing and defense spending are a legitimate part of intra-alliance debate, NATO's strength has always been rooted in common interests, values and close political cooperation.
He said European allies are increasing their contributions to collective security, which is contributing to a more balanced and resilient NATO.
"In a period of significant geopolitical uncertainty, we must continue to invest not only in strengthening our security but also in diplomacy and international cooperation," Blanar said.
Vystrcil praised Türkiye's defense industrial performance directly.
"I am convinced that Türkiye is a very important NATO ally with a comprehensive defense industry that makes an extremely significant contribution to NATO's overall defense posture," he said.
He added that Türkiye and Czechia are already cooperating between their armed forces, and expressed confidence that the two countries could also develop cooperation in sharing defense technology expertise.
Vystrcil, speaking to Anadolu Agency at the NATO Parliamentary Summit in Istanbul, said the gathering in Istanbul has laid a very solid foundation for the upcoming leaders' summit in Ankara, and that the aim is to maintain unity and act with common understanding to ensure the security of all NATO members.
"My main message was: if we stand united, we strengthen our credibility, and that is of key importance for NATO right now," Vystrcil said.
He said he underlined during his speech at the parliamentary summit that support for Ukraine must continue.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
4 min read
