National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Director Ibrahim Kalın on Monday emphasized Türkiye’s role in regional security and NATO’s evolving strategic priorities ahead of next month’s alliance summit in Ankara while welcoming reports of a breakthrough in negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Speaking at a panel titled “NATO Ankara Summit: Intelligence and Resilience,” organized by the National Intelligence Academy in the Turkish capital, Kalın underlined Türkiye’s longstanding role within NATO, describing the alliance as a cornerstone of the country’s security policy since it joined in 1952.
He said Türkiye’s NATO experience had passed through three major phases: the Cold War, the fight against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), and the security challenges stemming from the conflict in neighboring Syria.
Addressing developments in Syria, Kalın argued that Türkiye’s policies had helped create conditions for postwar reconstruction and social integration following the collapse of the Assad-era political order.
He said the integration of Syrian Kurdish communities into the country’s new political framework was a key element of the stabilization process and maintained that Türkiye had pursued what he described as a pragmatic approach to the issue.
