Türkiye is set to host the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit on July 7-8 in Ankara as officials highlight the country’s central role in the alliance’s security architecture, from the Black Sea and the Balkans to the Mediterranean, the Middle East and beyond.
Türkiye currently contributes nearly 3,000 personnel, along with various weapons, vehicles and military platforms, to ongoing NATO missions, operations and initiatives.
Founded on April 4, 1949, under the collective self-defense principle set out in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, NATO was established as a defense alliance against the Soviet threat. For Türkiye, the key factor behind accession was the need to balance Soviet pressure, particularly Moscow’s claims over the Turkish straits and eastern provinces.
Türkiye formally joined the alliance on Feb. 18, 1952, following its military contribution to the Korean War. After the outbreak of the war on June 25, 1950, Türkiye decided to send troops in response to a U.N. call and became the first country after the U.S. to announce it would deploy ground forces to Korea.
Since joining NATO, Türkiye has steadily expanded its contributions to the alliance’s missions and operations, including in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Libya and Iraq. Turkish officials say the country has preserved and developed Cold War-era military capabilities while also fighting terrorism and responding to regional instability.
