Turkish Communications Director Burhanettin Duran on Monday said that the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara will be critical for both the alliance's future and the evolving global security architecture.
Speaking to journalists at the International Media Center ahead of the July 7-8 summit, Duran noted the gathering, which has been described under the concept of "NATO 3.0," would address key strategic issues.
"This summit, which has come to the fore under the concept of NATO 3.0, is very important. Very important issues will be discussed in Ankara, both for NATO's future and for how the global architecture will be shaped," Duran said.
Duran said the summit is expected to attract the highest-level participation ever at the level of heads of state and government, alongside numerous bilateral meetings.
He said more than 2,500 media representatives will cover the event from the Presidential National Library, where facilities include workspaces, live broadcast positions, and editing rooms.
Asked about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bilateral meetings, Duran said NATO leaders are expected to discuss strengthening the transatlantic alliance, European security, and defense spending, while bilateral talks will also focus on country-specific issues.
"In addition, there will be bilateral meetings. Bilateral meetings generally focus on countries' own bilateral agendas. However, since they are being held on the sidelines of NATO, issues such as defense and security, Europe's future, and strengthening Europe's security will also be on the agenda. Defense spending will also be discussed," he said.
"Countries' bilateral agendas are naturally unique to each of them, so each meeting should be assessed separately. But from this perspective, the summit will provide a platform both for shaping NATO's future and for countries to review their bilateral relations. Our president will hold numerous bilateral meetings and will evaluate various agenda items within those meetings," Duran added.
