Ankara, Turkey. Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler said NATO is adapting to a changing security environment and that the United States is not seeking to withdraw from the alliance ahead of a summit in Ankara next week.
Turkey will host 32 NATO leaders, along with officials from the Gulf and Asia-Pacific region, on July 7-8 amid tensions within the alliance over burden-sharing, defence spending, and U.S. complaints about allies’ lack of involvement in re-opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Summit agenda
In written responses to questions, Guler said the summit would focus on alliance unity, assessing increased defence spending by allies, strengthening defence industry cooperation, and increasing support for Ukraine.
Turkey’s role in European defence
Guler said Ankara should be included in European defence initiatives and plans.
NATO and U.S. position
“NATO continues to be an unparalleled and fundamental platform for Euro-Atlantic security and defence. We evaluate the period we are going through not as a crisis, but as a process of adjusting to the changing security environment,” Guler said.
He said the United States had no intention of leaving NATO, but wanted European allies and Canada to take on greater responsibility for Europe’s security. He added that Europe must include Ankara in its defence plans and initiatives.