NATO chief meets Indo-Pacific partners at Ankara summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte convened a joint meeting with leaders from the alliance's Indo-Pacific partners in Ankara on Tuesday to advance defense cooperation, as the 32-member bloc opened its second summit hosted by Türkiye since 2004.

Indo-Pacific Four talks

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun joined Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi for the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) session, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry. Australian Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy and New Zealand Defense Minister Chris Penk also attended the talks, which addressed the Russia-Ukraine war, China, North Korea and the situation in Iran.

The participants agreed to strengthen cooperation in defense industry collaboration, cybersecurity and advanced technologies. Rutte expressed the alliance's intention to deepen its partnership with the IP4 to better address challenges facing the international community, the statement said.

'Inseparable' security links

Motegi told counterparts that the security of Europe, the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is "inseparable," adding that strong ties between NATO and the IP4 contribute to global peace and stability. He expressed hope for further expanding cooperation with the alliance and deepening their strategic partnership, noting that although the four nations are not NATO members, they have attended the alliance's annual summits as guests since 2022.

Ankara summit

The gathering in Ankara brings together leaders of the 32-member alliance to discuss Europe's defense capacity, NATO's defense spending targets and continued support for Ukraine. The meeting marks the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye, following the 2004 Istanbul summit, and provides a platform for bilateral talks between Ankara and allied countries on security and economic cooperation.