Turkey’s top diplomat will address fellow NATO foreign ministers this week regarding the upcoming alliance summit scheduled for the Turkish capital in July, according to a foreign ministry official who spoke Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to participate in NATO foreign ministers’ discussions on Thursday and Friday in Helsingborg, Sweden.
The Turkish capital will serve as the venue for the next NATO leaders’ gathering on July 7-8.
According to the ministry source, Fidan plans to outline Turkey’s goals for the Ankara meeting and update partner nations on Turkish preparations to make the event a significant occasion that reinforces NATO’s unity and integrity.
The foreign minister will also share details about Turkey’s NATO contributions and showcase “Turkey’s best practices regarding the conversion of defence expenditure into capabilities.”
Fidan intends to stress the importance of advancing transatlantic defense industry partnerships within NATO without limitations.
Another Turkish diplomatic official indicated that members of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), which includes several Middle Eastern nations, along with Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Australia — referred to as the Indo-Pacific Four — might receive invitations to participate in the Ankara summit at the foreign minister level.
The official noted that NATO member countries will reach consensus in the coming days regarding summit attendees, with potential discussion of this matter during the Sweden gathering.
