Top Turkish diplomat to underscore Türkiye’s security role in key NATO meeting
Serkan Demirtaş - ANKARA
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will reiterate the significance of Türkiye in keeping the European continent safe and its readiness to help establish a new security framework during a two-day NATO foreign ministerial meeting in Brussels, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
The meeting in Brussels, to be chaired by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, will be the first gathering of all members since the Trump administration took office in January.
The sources informed that the two-day meeting would observe four sessions, and the first one will take place with the participation of 32 member states alone to focus on the collective defense, burden sharing, increasing defense spending, strengthening the defense industry capacity of the allies, the future of European security in the context of ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the preparations for the NATO leaders’ summit to take place in The Hague in June.
Messages to be conveyed by Fidan in this session will concentrate on European security and the need for continued Euro-Atlantic cooperation.
He will emphasize that Türkiye’s contributions to Euro-Atlantic security will endure due to its strong army, modern military capabilities, and advanced defense industry infrastructure, the sources stressed.
NATO’s fundamental role regarding European security should not be weakened, Fidan will also tell his colleagues, reminding the fact that Türkiye, located in a critical position in NATO’s southeast flank, is a natural part of all processes concerning the future of European security.
The second session will review the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and NATO’s partners, Australia, Japan South Korea and New Zealand will also be presented at the foreign ministers’ level.
Fidan will emphasize that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Asia-Pacific regions are closely interconnected and will highlight the necessity of enhancing cooperation between NATO and its Asia-Pacific partners.
Latest on Ukraine-Russia war to be assessed
The third session of the NATO meeting will be devoted to the ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine in the format of the NATO-Ukraine Council and with the participation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and EU foreign and security high representative Kaja Kallas.
Ukraine’s immediate needs, the latest situation in the war between Russia and Ukraine, efforts to end the war and the support to be given to Ukraine by the European allies will be discussed during the session, the sources said.
According to the sources, Fidan will reiterate the support given by Türkiye to the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Ukraine and the efforts for reaching a sustainable ceasefire to be followed with a permanent deal between the two warring sides.
The minister will share Ankara’s evaluations regarding initiatives to be implemented once a ceasefire is achieved between Russia and Ukraine, the sources stated. In this context, he will also underscore the importance of the full participation of non-EU NATO members, particularly Türkiye, in the EU's defense and security efforts.
Fidan will call on EU to act inclusive on security issues
The fourth session will focus on the future cooperation between NATO and the European Union, during which Kallas will inform NATO members about the EU’s recent works on upgrading the continent’s security.
According to the sources, Fidan will emphasize that Türkiye is an integral part of European security and will persist in its contributions. He will underline that the EU efforts on security can only yield results if it include non-EU NATO states, especially Türkiye.
Fidan will also call on EU countries to include Türkiye in its efforts to upgrade its defense industry infrastructure.
