NATO top diplomats to review preparations for Ankara summit
ANKARA
In their final high-level huddle before July’s summit in Ankara, NATO foreign ministers will meet to smooth out logistical plans and tackle pressing security crises across Europe and the Middle East.
Top diplomats from 32 countries will gather in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 21 and 22, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attending on behalf of Türkiye, the host nation for the next summit, diplomatic sources informed.
The sources underlined that, along with preparations for the summit, the foreign ministers will also discuss unity within the alliance, the continuation of the transatlantic cooperation, enhancing defense industry production, military assistance to Ukraine and increasing the alliance’s capabilities.
The upcoming NATO meeting in Sweden will focus heavily on pressing regional security issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S.-Iran negotiations. Ministers will also address threats to the alliance’s southern flank, specifically evaluating the security implications of a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The ministers will meet Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Shiiba and EU Commission’s foreign and security policy representative Kaja Kallas on May 21 during the NATO-Ukraine informal working dinner, sources stressed, adding Minister Fidan will reiterate Ankara’s support to the territorial integrity of Ukraine and express its readiness for ending the war through diplomatic means.
On May 22, foreign ministers from 32 allied nations will join Secretary-General Mark Rutte to address core NATO issues and finalize preparations for the upcoming summit. According to the sources, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will deliver a presentation outlining the host nation’s preparations and strategic expectations for the event.
He will outline Türkiye’s stance on defense burden-sharing and maintaining strong transatlantic bonds, emphasizing the need to convert military spending into actual capabilities. On this front, Fidan will argue that defense industry restrictions only serve to undermine the alliance’s core principle of collective security.
Fidan will also tell NATO foreign ministers that the alliance’s 360-degree security vision must be enhanced in light of recent security challenges from regional conflicts, and that cooperation with southern countries should be strengthened.