After years of consistent growth of its defense industry, Ankara hopes that hosting a historic NATO summit would cement its rise as a key European security partner, building on the rapid momentum despite earlier reluctance from some partners.
The two-day summit opens on Tuesday with the Defence Industry Forum – once a sideline event, now formally part of the program – at which some 3,500 companies will be showcasing the best of Türkiye's burgeoning defense technologies.
"It is inconceivable to establish European security without Türkiye," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said while pushing for Türkiye's inclusion in all of Europe's defense and security structures, notably the European Union's 150-billion-euro ($176-billion) Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program.
Türkiye boasts NATO's second-biggest army after the U.S., with 355,000 troops and another 378,000 reservists, with its defense industry notably booming over the past decade.
But its desire to switch from supplier to a strategic partner has been held in some cases.
"Türkiye has been largely left out of Europe-wide programs and projects. That is what Türkiye wants to change... And to do that, it will use the summit to showcase its capabilities," said Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı, head of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara.
Turkish defense industry – which ranks 11th in the world, accounting for 1.8% of the global arms market, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) – saw exports grow by 48% in 2025, up from 29% a year earlier, officials said.
"We now achieve in one week what we used to achieve in one year," Erdoğan said last month of Türkiye's exports of drones, tanks, armored vehicles and warships, one of which was delivered to Romania, becoming "the first export of a military ship to an EU and NATO member country."
"We do not want to be seen only as a supplier. We want to be regarded as a strategic partner.. (for) joint production and technology cooperation," Haluk Görgün, head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), told the Defence24 news website last month.
But allies are questioning Ankara's relations with Russia, despite Türkiye being one of the rare actors that kept diplomatic channels open with both Kyiv and Moscow and hosted peace talks following the Russian invasion in 2022.
Türkiye's relations with its NATO partners, including the U.S., also soured following its acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system in 2017.
"This is what Türkiye needs to persuade France, Italy and Germany about," said Ünlühisarcıklı.
The sticking points were also Türkiye's anti-terrorist efforts in Syria and issues such as its disputes with Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration in the eastern Mediterranean.
Although the relationship has entered a "detoxification" process, aided by Türkiye's support for Kyiv, the S-400 issue has remained a stumbling block, notably in relations with Washington.
Today, Türkiye's relationship with the U.K. and a handful of European nations is working, but "it's not working with the European Union as a whole because there are a couple of members who are blocking it," explained professor Mustafa Aydın, an international relations expert at Istanbul's Kadir Has University.
"Apparently, it's not for Germany and France, and these are the two countries that matter," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Under SAFE, firms from non-EU countries, like Türkiye, can only supply up to 35% of the component costs of weaponry funded by the scheme.
To tap a bigger part of the funds, Ankara must sign a security partnership with the EU and then negotiate special access with Brussels, requiring approval from all 27 members.
"The political issues blocking Ankara's access to the SAFE program are the dispute between Türkiye, Greece and Greek Cyprus, but also France's ill will," said Sinan Ülgen, a senior fellow with Carnegie Europe.
Given the difficult geopolitical context facing a Europe caught between the war in Ukraine and the diplomatic standoff with Washington, it was "irrational" not to let Türkiye take part, he said.
Within the EU, Spain, Romania, Poland and notably Italy have forged deep defense ties with Türkiye, with Turkish drone maker Baykar buying Italy's Piaggio Aerospace and signing a partnership with defence giant Leonardo over the past 18 months.
Outside of the EU, the U.K. is cooperating with Türkiye's flagship Kaan project to build its own fifth-generation stealth fighter.
Ankara hopes Washington will unblock the delivery of a batch of U.S.-made jet engines that will be used in the project when U.S. President Donald Trump arrives in the capital for the NATO summit.
