Helsingborg, Sweden. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will tell NATO foreign ministers this week that the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara in July should reaffirm the alliance’s unity and integrity, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Wednesday.
NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden
Fidan will attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Thursday and Friday in Helsingborg, Sweden. Turkey is set to host the next NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara on July 7-8.
Turkey’s expectations for the Ankara summit
During the meeting, Fidan will share Turkey’s expectations regarding the Ankara summit and brief allied countries on Turkey’s efforts to ensure that it serves as a high-level event reaffirming NATO’s unity and integrity, the source said.
Turkey’s NATO contributions and defence spending
Fidan will also provide information on Turkey’s contributions to NATO and highlight “Turkey’s best practices regarding the conversion of defence expenditure into capabilities,” the source said.
Call for unrestricted defence industry cooperation
Fidan will emphasise the need to develop transatlantic defence industry cooperation within NATO without any restrictions.
Possible invitees and decision timeline
A separate Turkish diplomatic source said members of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), a partnership forum with several Middle Eastern countries, as well as Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Australia — known as the Indo-Pacific Four — may be invited to the Ankara summit at the foreign minister level. The source said NATO allies will agree in the coming days on the summit invitees, and the issue may be discussed at the meeting in Sweden.
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