The decision to hold the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara carried strategic significance beyond logistics, reflecting Türkiye's increasingly acknowledged military, political and geopolitical importance within the alliance, according to the experts.
"The fact that the summit was held in Ankara is a recognition of Türkiye's key position in both military and political terms," Mustafa Caner, editor-in-chief of Kriter Magazine and a researcher at the Turkish think-tank, the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), told Daily Sabah.
The summit in Ankara brought together leaders of the 32-member alliance as well as key partners to discuss Europe's defense capacity, the alliance's defense spending targets, military modernization and continued support for Ukraine.
Caner argued that hosting the summit itself sent a political message about Türkiye's evolving role in NATO, particularly as the alliance faces mounting security challenges across Europe, the Middle East and the Black Sea.
Speaking at the opening of the leaders’ summit of NATO in the capital, Ankara, on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan renewed his country’s commitment to the alliance while urging NATO members that are also EU members not to exclude Türkiye.
