Türkiye to extend NATO role beyond hosting: Cavusoglu

Mevlut Cavusoglu, who chairs the Turkish Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and previously served as foreign minister, told attendees at an Ankara panel on Tuesday that Türkiye's contributions to this week's landmark NATO summit would not be confined to hosting duties, emphasizing that Ankara intends to maintain its active mediation role among allies.

Expectations of solidarity

Speaking at the "Toward the Summit" panel organized by the Communications Directorate, the Munich Security Conference, and the SETA think tank, Cavusoglu underlined that Türkiye expects robust solidarity from fellow NATO members and the invocation of Articles 4 and 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty when circumstances demand. He noted that political unity and cohesion would dominate the two-day agenda alongside discussions on the Russia-Ukraine war, defense industry cooperation, and burden-sharing among the 32 member states. The senior lawmaker emphasized that Ankara views its hosting role as complementary to its ongoing mediation efforts within the alliance framework.

Allied voices on security spending

The session also brought together British MP Stuart Anderson, US Senator Mike Rounds, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who co-chairs the Senate NATO Observer Group, and Slovak MP Tomas Valasek. Shaheen stated that American support for NATO has reached unprecedented levels, adding that allied defense spending has hit the 2% GDP threshold and is progressing toward the 5% target. She emphasized that NATO ensures security across Europe, the US, and much of the world, adding that the alliance remains relevant and is stronger than ever.

Rounds said US President Donald Trump has stressed the necessity of increasing NATO's defense capacity, warning that future threats of war loom large. Valasek noted that allies pledged at the 2025 Hague summit to invest 5% of GDP annually in defense by 2035, though he voiced criticism regarding the implementation timeline. Anderson added that the Russia-Ukraine war has served as a critical lesson for NATO members, indicating that allies would boost their defense expenditures in response to evolving security challenges.

The NATO summit is scheduled to run for two days in Ankara this week as the 32-member alliance addresses defense spending targets and regional security threats. Allied leaders are expected to finalize agreements on burden-sharing and defense industry cooperation during the gathering.