Diplomatic traffic has intensified in the capital due to the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit held in Ankara.

Within the scope of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski, who visited Türkiye, at Esenboğa Airport.

While one of the most important agenda topics of the NATO Summit is the war in Ukraine and the security of the Euro-Atlantic geography, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy is expected to have bilateral contacts with many leaders within the scope of the summit. In this context, Zelenskiy is also expected to meet with US President Donald Trump.

Minister Ersoy welcomed Zelenski in Esenboğa! | Video

Minister Ersoy’s welcome program within the scope of the NATO Summit will continue throughout the day.

Later, Ersoy will welcome Czech Republic President Petr Pavel, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Polish President Karol Tadeusz Nawrocki, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Slovakian President Peter Pellegrini and President of the European Council of Heads of State and Government António Luís Santos da Costa at Esenboğa Airport.

Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün shared a post about the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara within the framework of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit. Görgün said in his post: “These projects, in which ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, STM and TÜBİTAK will be among the contractors, will form the backbone of the Alliance’s deterrence architecture in the coming years.”

“WE HAVE ACHIEVED AN UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY”

In his speech at the opening of the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara within the framework of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün stated that the effects and results of the forum could last for years and that he was pleased to host the participants in Ankara. Stating that the Defense Industry Forum is the “centerpiece” of this year’s summit, Görgün noted that this is largely due to a better understanding of the importance of the defense industry for the future of the allies.

Görgün stated that the fact that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made this issue a priority gave the forum a special meaning and said, “Another element that makes this forum truly unique is that it is held in Türkiye, which has exhibited an unprecedented growth in the defense industry under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.” he said.

Explaining that they worked in close cooperation with the NATO Secretariat for the forum, Görgün said, “In the face of high expectations from the forum, we planned every detail with the meticulousness of a jeweler, in close cooperation with the NATO Secretariat.” he said.

Stating that the participant profile has reached the highest level in terms of both quality and quantity this year, Görgün called on the participants to examine the talents on display and said, “I especially recommend that you do not miss the opportunity to get to know KIZILELMA closely.” he said.

“WE HAVE TOO LITTLE TIME”

Görgün pointed out NATO’s recent decisions to increase its defense production capacity and reminded that the Defense Production Action Plan was announced at the Vilnius Summit and an agreement was reached on the Industrial Capacity Expansion Commitment at the Washington Summit.

Görgün stated that the commitment to allocate 5 percent of gross domestic product to defense expenditures at the Hague Summit demonstrated the alliance’s agreement on industrial expansion and continued as follows:

“During the past three years, serious disruptions, wars and security threats in almost every region of the world have rewritten the defense architecture. It is against this background that today’s forum is being held. What is certain is that we have very little time, we need to strengthen our industrial capacity, and no country can shoulder this burden alone.”

Noting that, as Rutte frequently emphasizes, these goals will become realistic if NATO members act together, Görgün said, “As the Turkish defense industry, we are ready to be one of the driving forces of the industrial transformation that NATO needs.” he said.

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler said, “We also consider NATO’s 5 percent defense investment commitment important. Because this commitment is also a concrete indicator of the Alliance’s will to strengthen its deterrence, scale defense production and bring the capabilities we need to the field on time.” he said.

Güler said that NATO’s understanding of collective defense, the spirit of solidarity among allies and the determination to act together are more important than ever. Stating that the production capacity, ammunition stock, platform modernization, sustainable supply chains and rapidly adaptable industrial ecosystem that support this determination are also of vital importance, Güler said:

“As a matter of fact, the war in Ukraine has shown how decisive the speed of ammunition supply, unmanned systems, air and missile defense, electronic warfare and rapid innovation are in the modern warfare environment. The recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz and its surroundings have once again demonstrated that transportation line security and supply chain management are now an integral part of defense planning. Therefore, the main question for all of us is, how quickly can we turn our commitments into real capabilities?”

“DOZENS OF MILITARY SHIPS ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED SIMULTANEOUSLY”

Minister Güler said that one of the main goals of the Ankara Summit is for the allies to demonstrate their increase in defense investments, achieve new capability targets, expand their production capacities and build a stronger, more innovative and more durable transatlantic defense industrial base.

Güler emphasized that Türkiye, acting with this awareness, has brought its domestic and national production capacity and engineering infrastructure in the defense industry to a level that attracts attention on a global scale, and said:

“Today, we have significant competencies in a wide range of fields, from land, sea and air platforms to unmanned systems, electronic warfare capabilities and air defense solutions. In fact, dozens of military ships are being built simultaneously in our shipyards. Turkey has a capacity in the production of naval platforms that not only meets its own needs but also can contribute to its allies and partners. Within the scope of the modernization of our land power, the mass production phase of our Altay main battle tank is concrete indicators of the technological and industrial level we have reached in the field of armored land vehicles.”

“AMMUNITION PRODUCTION IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL TITLES FOR THE ALLIANCE”

Stating that the KAAN program shows that Türkiye has reached a new league in its capacity to develop high-technology-based combat air platforms in the field of air operations, Güler said, “Ammunition production is one of the most critical topics for the Alliance. In recent years, we have increased our 155 mm ammunition production capacity very rapidly and become one of the allies that produces concrete results in this field. We are significantly expanding our missile and ammunition production capacity with ROKETSAN’s new production and integration investments.” he said.

Minister Güler pointed out that the investments of companies such as ASELSAN and HAVELSAN in the fields of radar, electronic warfare, communication, command-control, software, simulation and artificial intelligence-supported systems have advanced the defense industry capacity not only in quantity but also in quality, and said:

“Along with all these, we also consider NATO’s 5 percent defense investment commitment important. Because this commitment is also a concrete indicator of the Alliance’s will to strengthen deterrence, scale defense production and bring the capabilities we need to the field in a timely manner. Wars and conflicts have shown that success in the field depends not only on existing stocks, but also on the capacity to learn quickly, produce quickly and adapt quickly. Soldiers, engineers, entrepreneurs and decision-makers in many fields, from drone technologies to electronic warfare, from ammunition production to software updates “As the distance between transmitters shortens, the effectiveness at the front increases. Therefore, our task is to build this culture of cooperation in peacetime. Once the crisis occurs, it may be too late to establish a production line, create a supply chain or develop a common standard.”

Calling on NATO member countries to turn commitments into capabilities, Güler said, “Let’s turn resources into production. Let’s turn our industrial power into deterrence and strengthen the security of our Alliance, not with words, but with concrete capacity on the ground. In this context, we hope that the contacts and evaluations to be made during the forum will turn into real projects, joint ventures, production agreements and capability outputs.” he said.

100 BILLION DOLLAR TRADE TARGET

The 100 billion dollar trade target and commercial relations between the two countries are expected to make a significant impact in the meetings between Trump and Erdogan. In this context, the steps taken will be evaluated and a road map of the steps that can be taken will be drawn. It is considered that energy cooperation and the mobile reactor project between Türkiye and the USA are also on the leaders’ agenda.

DIPLOMACY FOR PEACE

It is noted that permanent peace negotiations after the US-Iran war, which has been at the top of the world agenda in recent months, will also be among the topics of the two leaders’ meeting. Ankara points to diplomacy in this issue, as in every conflict. At the NATO Summit held in The Hague, Netherlands last year, President Erdoğan gave the message that “A permanent solution to the problems with Iran is possible through diplomacy and negotiation.”

The leaders’ agenda will also include the latest developments in Syria and the process of clearing the region from terrorism. Trump is expected to meet with Syrian President Al Shara as part of his contacts in Ankara. President Erdoğan points to international law on every platform to ensure peace, tranquility and stability in the region. In this context, Israel’s expansionist policies and regional effects are planned to be among the topics to be discussed at the meeting. It is envisaged that the reconstruction of Gaza will be evaluated in this context.

10 CRITICAL TITLES ON THE TABLE!

The topics of the meeting between US President Trump and President Erdoğan are as follows:

1- Defense and security cooperation and removal of CAATSA sanctions.

2- 100 billion dollar trade target.

3- Engine project of KAAN warplane (F-110 supply).

4- Permanent peace negotiations after the US-Iran War.

5- Energy cooperation and mobile reactor project.

6- Developments in Syria and clearing the region of terrorism.

7- Israel’s expansionist policies.

8- Reconstruction of Gaza.

9- Steps regarding the Russia-Ukraine War.

10- Extradition of FETO members to Türkiye.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke about the alliance’s new projects at the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara within the framework of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit. Rutte spoke about the new projects of the alliance at the Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara within the framework of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit.

“An OPPORTUNITY FOR NATO MEMBER STATES…”

Secretary General Rutte pointed out that this platform brings NATO and industry together, and also said that the forum is an opportunity for member countries to showcase the capacities and innovations of their industries within the scope of the alliance. In this context, Rutte stated that they have a lot to show today and that he is proud of it, and reminded that a year ago, at the summit in The Hague, the allies pledged to invest more in the field of defense and that defense expenditures would constitute 5 percent of the gross domestic product by 2035. Noting that significant progress has already been achieved, Rutte said that the countries agreed to increase defense production and innovation.

Noting that they have already achieved results in Ankara, 1 year after The Hague, Rutte pointed out that allies and industries from both sides of the Atlantic will announce major projects and sign agreements worth billions of dollars during the day. This will invest in their security, strengthen their economies and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, Rutte said. Stating that today the world, the industrial sector in North America and Europe are working together to produce and develop new generation capabilities, Rutte said that these capabilities are produced in NATO and emerged not only by one nation, but by several working together in close cooperation.

Rutte emphasized that in this way, they made the alliance stronger now and in the future and defended 1 billion people and every point of their territory.

NATO WILL HAVE THE 10TH AIRBUS A330 MRTT AIRCRAFT

Stating that their first announcement today is a new platform within NATO that can provide air-to-air refueling and rapid equipment transfer, Rutte noted that this is for air power, which is very important for strengthening deterrence in the field of defense.

Rutte stated that today several allies will officially announce the participation of the 10th Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft in the Multinational Multi-Purpose Tanker Transport Fleet, thus approaching a full fleet of 12 Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft. Explaining that the Allies have launched a new multinational project focusing on the Airbus A400M aircraft, Rutte pointed out that this means a worldwide strategic air transport capacity. Rutte emphasized that this announcement constitutes an excellent example of multinational cooperation, pointing out that the A330 MRTT and A400M will provide the alliance with two multinational high-capacity fleets.

Stating that Airbus platforms are built on Europe’s strong industrial leadership, close NATO-European Union cooperation and the contributions of industrial partners in the USA, Rutte said, “They keep NATO’s air power strong, reliable and ready for decades to come.” he said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues his bilateral contacts within the scope of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit hosted by Türkiye at the Presidential Complex. In this context, Erdoğan held a closed-door meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte yesterday. Speaking to the press before the acceptance, Rutte emphasized that Türkiye has been one of the alliance’s largest military powers since it joined NATO in 1952. Rutte said, “Your defense industry has come a long way in the last 5-10 years. There are 3 thousand companies working in the field of defense industry in Türkiye.” Underlining that the Turkish defense industry provides what the alliance members need to defend themselves, Rutte said, “Your leadership in NATO is important. Your place on the map is important. It is very important that the summit is held in Ankara.” Rutte said, “NATO is already benefiting greatly from Türkiye’s production in the field of defense industry.” Stating that ASELSAN is one of the best examples of this, Rutte said, “ASELSAN supports many countries within our alliance.” Reminding that Turkish industrial companies also have investments in the USA, Rutte gave the message of being able to work together in the entire alliance geography extending from Arkansas to Ankara. ANKARA

PREPARATIONS ARE OK
During President Erdogan’s reception with Rutte, the agenda of the NATO Ankara Summit and regional and global developments were discussed. During the meeting, Erdoğan wished that the NATO Leaders Summit would be beneficial and stated that Türkiye had completed its preparations for the summit. Emphasizing that it will be important to address many issues at the Ankara Summit, from collective defense to increasing defense industry cooperation between allies, Erdoğan noted that he believes that the Defense Industry Forum to be held on the margins of the summit will be followed carefully.