"As a result of the strategic climate, Turkey has now become a central nation for the NATO alliance," states Gül.

Gül also pointed out that the alliance will continue to strive towards the same success in the future to contribute to global security and stability.

Referring to the Arab Spring and the violence in Syria, Gül pointed out that a significant amount of the threats, crises, transformation and opportunities that the international community is dealing with at present, happen to be experienced in the geography that surrounds Turkey.

In a message by Prime Minister Erdoğan, he states, "Day by day, Turkey's importance for NATO and NATO's importance for Turkey continues to increase as the new world order is reshaped due to a variance of developments spanning from the transformation in North Africa and the Middle East to the international financial crisis."