Türkiye to host first NATO summit in 22 years

Türkiye will host a NATO summit for the first time in 22 years next week, welcoming leaders of the alliance's 32 member states to Ankara for talks expected to focus on security challenges, burden-sharing and NATO's future strategic direction.

The 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government will be the first alliance summit hosted by Türkiye since the 2004 Istanbul Summit, which is widely regarded as a milestone in NATO's post-Cold War transformation.

Officials say the Ankara meeting comes at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty and is expected to highlight Türkiye's expanding diplomatic role, military capabilities, defense industry and contribution to the alliance.

Security and burden-sharing on agenda

Burden-sharing among allies is expected to be one of the central issues discussed during the summit.

Leaders from all 32 NATO member countries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, are expected to attend alongside foreign and defense ministers.

The meeting will also bring together NATO's Indo-Pacific partners — Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea — reflecting closer links between Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security priorities.

Side events and security preparations

The NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum will be held alongside the leaders' meeting in Ankara.

Foreign ministers from countries participating in the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — are also expected to take part in a ministerial-level meeting. The initiative was launched during the 2004 NATO Summit in Istanbul.

Türkiye will host nearly 100 ministers, senior diplomats, representatives of international organizations and thousands of foreign guests during the summit.

Nearly 3,000 journalists from around the world have applied for accreditation.

Authorities will deploy 56,288 security personnel, including 48,841 police officers and 7,447 members of the gendarmerie, while 639 specialists will conduct round-the-clock cyber patrols to counter potential cyber threats.

Delegations will arrive through Ankara Esenboğa Airport, Mürted Air Base and the redeveloped former Etimesgut Air Base, now designated as Ankara Airport.

Several events will precede and accompany the summit, including the NATO Parliamentary Summit in Istanbul, policy workshops and security dialogues involving government officials, think tanks and policy planners.

Legacy of the 2004 Istanbul Summit

Türkiye last hosted a NATO summit in June 2004, when Istanbul welcomed leaders from the alliance's then-26 member states along with representatives from 20 partner countries.

The summit marked one of NATO's most significant post-Cold War meetings, producing decisions to expand the alliance's mission in Afghanistan, provide training for Iraqi security forces and deepen cooperation with partner nations.

It also welcomed Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to their first NATO summit after they joined the alliance earlier that year in NATO's largest post-Cold War enlargement.

The Istanbul meeting brought together many of the world's leading figures at the time, including then-U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Extraordinary security measures were implemented during the 2004 summit, which coincided with the announcement of the early transfer of sovereignty in Iraq to the country's interim government, adding further historical significance to the gathering.

Officials say this year's summit aims to build on that legacy while underscoring Türkiye's increasingly prominent role within NATO amid a rapidly changing global security environment.

Source:AA