Erdogan says NATO summit strengthened alliance as Turkiye expands defence role
Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the NATO Summit in Ankara a success, saying allies had laid the foundations for a stronger alliance through fairer
Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the NATO Summit in Ankara a success, saying allies had laid the foundations for a stronger alliance through fairer burden-sharing and greater European responsibility. He highlighted Turkiye's growing defence capabilities, describing the country as NATO's second-largest standing land force and a leading contributor to alliance missions.
Erdogan announced that Turkish F-16s will join NATO's air policing mission in Estonia from August, while Turkiye will command the NATO Allied Reaction Force in 2028-29. He welcomed a new defence partnership with the United Kingdom and urged the European Union to fully include non-EU NATO allies such as Turkiye in defence initiatives.
Erdogan also called for the removal of remaining defence trade restrictions among allies and stressed that NATO must remain united against terrorism. On Ukraine, he reiterated that diplomacy remains the only path to ending the war. Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu reports from Ankara.
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