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NATO ambassadors stationed in Ankara have delivered a unified message of solidarity and resolve ahead of the July 7-8 NATO summit in the Turkish capital, calling it a critical moment to turn defense spending pledges into concrete military capabilities.
The assessments, shared exclusively with state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), came from the ambassadors of Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Bulgaria and Latvia, representing a broad cross-section of allied opinion on what the summit must achieve.
Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Manzo stated that the summit takes place at a critical juncture for collective security.
"We are grateful for Türkiye's leadership, we support it and we are committed to working together for a successful summit that will address all the threats we face," Manzo said.
He pointed specifically to Italy's deployment of a SAMP/T air defense system as an active contribution to the alliance's air defense, adding that Italy is proud to actively contribute to the security of "friendly and allied Türkiye."
Dutch Ambassador Joep Wijnands recalled that the 2025 NATO summit was held in The Hague and that this year's follows in Ankara.
"Last year was about allies increasing their financial commitments and allocating more budget for collective defense," Wijnands said, noting, "This year, it will be about how and in which areas we use that budget."
He said security is never guaranteed on its own.
"Türkiye knows this very well in its volatile region," Wijnands said.
"Türkiye's contribution to the alliance, with the second largest armed forces in NATO and a major defense industry, is absolutely very important," he added.
He said the summit must demonstrate "unwavering determination" toward collective defense, support for Kyiv in the Russia-Ukraine war and joint counterterrorism efforts.
"When we can remain united, we are the strongest alliance in the world," Wijnands stated.
Polish Ambassador Maciej Lang described the summit as an "exceptional" meeting of importance both for Ankara and for the alliance as a whole.
"I am fully convinced that the message of unity and solidarity rising from Ankara will once again confirm NATO's unwavering will and its determination and resolve to act jointly in the face of changing security conditions," Lang said.
Lang added his wishes for a fruitful summit for the entire alliance.
Bulgarian Ambassador Anguel Tcholakov said the current period is marked by unprecedented threats and uncertainties for the international order.
"This summit provides an extremely valuable and important opportunity to openly reaffirm our unity among allies, to demonstrate our determination and solidarity, and to show our unwavering commitment to our fundamental principles and values," Tcholakov said.
"Together we are stronger," he added.
Latvian Ambassador Bahtijors Hasans said the summit is an opportunity to show that commitments made at previous gatherings are being carried out in practice and that some progress is already visible.
He noted Latvia was the first ally to legally commit to spending at least 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense from 2027 onward.
"This demonstrates our resolve," Hasans said.
"The summit should reaffirm NATO's security, unity, collective defense, the strengthening of Article 5 and transatlantic bonds. Allies are increasing defense spending because Russia continues to be the greatest threat to the transatlantic area, alongside terrorism," he added.
Hasans stressed that support for Ukraine is vital.
"Ukraine's security directly contributes to the security of the entire transatlantic area," he said.
"Latvia has been allocating 0.25% of its GDP to Ukraine for several years and we will continue to do so. What matters is that we stand together and NATO's unity is of vital importance," he noted.
Separately, Türkiye's Presidential International Relations Expert Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orhan Karaoglu told Anadolu Agency that the 36th NATO Summit should not be viewed as a conventional gathering.
"Non-NATO member countries will also participate," Karaoglu said.
"Ankara hosting such a summit as an important geopolitical center in global and regional terms has drawn attention as a multidimensional summit that goes beyond NATO itself," he noted.
He said the whole world is watching Ankara because the summit will affect the global and regional security architecture and economies.
"Türkiye is not an ordinary NATO member," Karaoglu said, adding, "Türkiye's role in the new global security architecture that will emerge is very, very important."
He noted that the summit's motto, "The Key to Peace Is Ankara," reflects Türkiye's accumulated diplomatic role.
"Türkiye is not just a country, but an important cornerstone in the global and regional security architecture," Karaoglu said, citing Türkiye's mediation roles in the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, and crises in the Balkans and Caucasus.
"NATO-Türkiye relations have experienced fractures and criticism from time to time throughout history," Karaoglu said, adding, "But Türkiye has always been an important actor within NATO. The current summit is actually a confirmation of this."
Karaoglu also discussed his new book, "State Reason and NATO," which he said examines Türkiye's NATO membership process based exclusively on Turkish archival documents, filling what he described as a gap in the literature.
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