Burden-sharing to dominate NATO summit in Ankara, says Duran

ANKARA

Türkiye’s communications chief said on June 24 burden-sharing among allies will be a central theme of next month’s NATO summit in Ankara, as members face mounting pressure to increase defense spending and adapt to a changing security environment.

The gathering would serve as a diplomatic stage highlighting Türkiye’s rising weight within NATO and its expanding role beyond traditional border defense responsibilities, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran told Turkish media ahead of the July 7-8 summit.

He said the alliance’s evolving security architecture was forcing members to reassess defense expenditures and collective responsibilities.

The summit comes amid renewed debate within NATO over burden-sharing, defense spending targets and the distribution of security responsibilities among allies.

According to Duran, Türkiye plans to meet NATO’s new defense spending benchmark of 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2030, including 3.5 percent for core defense needs and 1.5 percent for broader security-related investments.

NATO leaders agreed last year to pursue the 5 percent target by 2035, replacing the alliance’s long-standing 2 percent benchmark as concerns over Russia, terrorism and broader security threats intensified. The spending goal is expected to remain a key issue in Ankara.

Duran said Türkiye was no longer merely a country guarding NATO’s southeastern flank but had become a strategic actor contributing to regional stability and alliance security across multiple theaters. He argued that Ankara’s geostrategic location, military capabilities and diplomatic engagement had strengthened its standing within the alliance.

The summit will bring together leaders of NATO’s 32 member states, along with representatives from partner countries in the Gulf region and the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has indicated the two leaders are likely to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines.

Turkish officials have said they want the Ankara summit to reinforce alliance unity while addressing emerging security challenges and the future of transatlantic cooperation. The meeting will be the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye, following the alliance gathering in Istanbul in 2004.