Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that the NATO summit, which Ankara will host on July 7-8, will be important for the future of the military-political bloc and the international security system. He said that the world has changed and the Alliance must adapt to new threats.
The Turkish leader said this while talking to journalists after his visit to Kazakhstan, TRT Haber reports.
In particular, Erdogan stressed that the next NATO leaders' summit “has critical importance in the history of the Alliance,” and, he said, “recent events both in our region and in the world have further increased the importance of the summit in Ankara.” According to him, the current security situation is significantly different from the period when NATO was founded.
“We expect that important decisions will be made in Ankara regarding the future of the Alliance and the further shape of the global security architecture. The modern world is no longer a continuation of the old world that existed when NATO was founded. Threats have become more complex, risks have diversified, the global system has blurred, in short, the world has changed a lot,” Erdogan explained.
He also assured that Turkey supports the strengthening of NATO and is ready to participate in the formation of a more effective collective security system.
“Fair burden-sharing, sincere cooperation and a common understanding of security within NATO are very important for the future of the Alliance. As Turkey, we are ready to contribute to a more resolute and better prepared NATO,” the Turkish leader added.
At the end of April 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian representatives would participate in the NATO summit, which will be held on July 7 and 8 in Ankara.
In December 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that NATO member states were in danger and were Russia's next target, after Ukraine. He also said that Russia could potentially attack the bloc's countries in the next three to seven years if NATO did not increase its defense investments.