Ankara, July 7 (SANA) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the NATO summit in Ankara will help shape the Euro-Atlantic security environment in the coming years and help the alliance adapt its structures to emerging challenges.
In a post on X ahead of the 36th NATO summit, which opened in Ankara on Tuesday and will run for two days, Fidan said Turkey is ready to host NATO members at a “critical moment” that will help determine the alliance’s future direction.
Fidan said decisions taken at the summit will go beyond addressing immediate issues and contribute to the long-term development of Euro-Atlantic security. He noted that while collective defense remains NATO’s core principle, the strategic environment is evolving, with threats becoming more diverse, faster-changing and increasingly complex.
He stressed that traditional defense benchmarks no longer fully reflect current realities, saying the focus should be on practical outcomes, including deployable capabilities, industrial capacity and operational readiness.
Fidan also underlined the importance of a stronger European contribution to NATO. He warned that restrictions on defense industry cooperation undermine efficiency and slow response times, adding that European defense initiatives should fully include all NATO allies.
He said the key issue is not only how to respond to global developments, but also how to structure cooperation to reflect current realities.
Türkiye is hosting a NATO summit for the second time since the alliance’s 2004 summit in Istanbul. The Ankara meeting comes amid growing challenges facing NATO and the broader global security environment.
R.H/Abd
