Ankara Summit to Define NATO's Future, Says Turkish FM
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Tuesday that the NATO summit in Ankara will help shape the alliance's future and adapt its structures to an increasingly complex security environment. In a post on X as the two-day summit began, Fidan said Turkey is prepared to host NATO allies under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"The stage is set in Ankara. Under President Erdogan's leadership, Turkey stands ready to welcome NATO members at a moment that will define the Alliance's future," Fidan wrote. He stressed that decisions taken at the summit "will not merely address immediate challenges" but "will shape the Euro-Atlantic security environment for the years ahead."
Collective Defense Core but Threats Evolve
Fidan emphasized that collective defense remains NATO's core mission, but argued that the strategic environment is changing as threats become "multi-domain, faster, and more complex." He noted that traditional metrics no longer capture current realities. "What matters now is output: deployable capability, industrial capacity, and operational readiness," he said.
The minister added that a stronger European contribution to NATO is essential, but restrictions on defense-industrial cooperation undermine efficiency and slow response. "These constraints have become strategic liabilities. European defense initiatives must remain fully inclusive of all NATO Allies," he stated.
Reorganizing Cooperation for Modern Realities
Fidan further noted that the alliance must reconsider how it organizes cooperation. "The real issue is not only how we respond, but how we organize cooperation in a way that reflects today's realities. The Ankara Summit will guide the Alliance in aligning its structures with the world it faces," he said. "Turkey's objective is clear: a more coherent, more capable, and more resilient Alliance," Fidan concluded.
