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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host leaders of NATO member states in Ankara on July 7-8 for the alliance’s 36th summit, where they are expected to discuss defense, security and key regional challenges, according to the Turkish presidency.
Erdogan is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit with leaders from NATO’s 32 member states, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Council President Antonio Costa are also expected to attend.
According to the presidency, Erdogan is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Trump on July 7, followed by a joint news conference.
Later that day, Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan are scheduled to host a dinner at the Presidential Complex for visiting leaders and their spouses.
On July 8, Erdogan is expected to welcome participating leaders at the summit venue before joining the traditional family photograph. Following opening remarks by Rutte, heads of state and government are expected to deliver statements during the summit session.
After the session, Erdogan, Trump and several other leaders are expected to hold separate news conferences at the Bestepe National Exhibition Hall.
The summit is expected to focus on implementing NATO’s decision to increase defense investment and to review the alliance’s deterrence and defense posture from what NATO describes as a 360-degree perspective.
Leaders are also expected to discuss strategic challenges facing the Euro-Atlantic region, including developments related to the war in Ukraine and security issues affecting NATO’s southern flank.
In addition to the leaders of NATO’s 32 member states, the summit is expected to bring together nearly 100 ministers, senior diplomats, representatives of international organizations and invited guests.
Written by N.J.