NATO Ankara summit highlights Türkiye's peace role: Communications chief

Turkish Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said Thursday that the NATO Ankara Summit has demonstrated Ankara's active role in strengthening international peace and security under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership, citing intensive diplomatic activities since Monday. "The intensive diplomatic engagements carried out since Monday as part of the NATO Ankara Summit have once again demonstrated Türkiye's active role, under the leadership of our President Recep Tayip Erdogan, in strengthening international peace, security and stability," Duran wrote on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal. He noted that Erdoğan held separate meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Strategic cooperation

The parties comprehensively discussed the development of bilateral relations, strengthening cooperation in the defense industry, trade, security and the European security architecture as well as regional and global developments, according to Duran. "Our President once again underlined Türkiye's contributions to Europe's security and emphasized the importance it attaches to strengthening NATO's European pillar and preserving the 'Transatlantic Bond,'" he added. Duran described the signing of the Security and Defense Partnership Agreement between Türkiye and the UK as "an important step toward strengthening strategic cooperation."

Regional conflicts

Ensuring a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, ending the Russia-Ukraine war through diplomacy, preserving the understanding reached between Iran and the US, and establishing stability in Syria were among the prominent topics of the meetings, Duran stated. He recalled Erdoğan's remarks at the summit's press conference stressing that Türkiye would continue its active diplomacy and cooperation with allies in line with its understanding of peace, stability and shared security.

Additional bilateral talks

Erdoğan also met Thursday with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Duran said. They discussed opportunities to enhance bilateral relations and cooperation in the fields of trade, defense, security and energy, he added.