As the NATO summit started in Ankara on Tuesday, nearly 50 high-level roundtables, panel discussions and policy forums were held at the historic Ankara Palas under the "Allies in Ankara" Event Hub, bringing together allied officials, defense industry leaders, diplomats and security experts to discuss the alliance's most pressing strategic challenges.
The two-day program was co-hosted by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), the Munich Security Conference, and the Communication Directorate on the sidelines of the summit and featured events organized in partnership with international organizations.
The agenda covered a broad range of defense and security issues shaping NATO's future, with sessions examining the alliance's eastern and southern flanks, defense industrial cooperation, interoperability, emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, missile and drone threats, critical infrastructure protection and cybersecurity.
Participants also discussed NATO's evolving partnerships with Gulf countries, the Black Sea and Mediterranean security environments, defense spending and industrial capacity, food security, and connectivity initiatives aimed at strengthening Euro-Atlantic resilience.
During the opening ceremony, SETA General Coordinator professor Nebi Miş described the conference as a key platform for examining the major security issues on the NATO summit agenda, noting that it provided an opportunity for decision-makers and experts from different countries to exchange views on shared strategic challenges.
SETA Director of Foreign Policy Research professor Murat Yeşiltaş characterized the NATO summit in Ankara as one of the most consequential summits in the Alliance's history. He said the "Allies in Ankara" conference was designed to deepen dialogue among strategic communities and contribute to a broader understanding of the summit's significance and its implications for the Alliance.
The event opened with welcoming remarks by Communications Director professor Burhanettin Duran.
Mustafa Caner, editor-in-chief of Kriter Magazine and a researcher at SETA, told Daily Sabah that Allies in Ankara served as the official event hub of the NATO summit, complementing leaders' discussions by providing a platform for expert-level dialogue.
He said the event brought together more than 55 think tanks from around the world, alongside policymakers and specialists, to examine the technical, strategic and geopolitical issues underpinning the Alliance's agenda.
"The leaders' summit is where political decisions are made," Caner said. "But here, at the technical level, we are discussing feasibilities, field realities, and technical details, whether it is about the defense industry or broader geopolitical issues."
He said the event was designed to facilitate dialogue among think tanks, researchers, and officials, allowing experts to contribute practical insights to the summit's broader policy discussions.
The program also received support from major Turkish defense companies, including ASELSAN and ROKETSAN, reflecting the country's growing role in NATO's defense and security agenda.
Erman Akıllı, assistant editor of Insight Turkey, a researcher at SETA specializing in artificial intelligence, foreign policy, digital diplomacy and public diplomacy, said that side events such as Allies in Ankara play a vital role in extending the NATO summit's discussions beyond official diplomatic meetings and bringing Türkiye's strategic messages to a wider international audience.
"Delivering the messages of Türkiye to a broader international audience through this side event is quite important and essential," Akıllı said, explaining that while the summit itself primarily brings together heads of state, foreign ministers and senior officials, the conference creates a platform where scholars, practitioners and policymakers can exchange ideas and contribute to strategic discussions.
He emphasized that dialogue has become increasingly important in an era of geopolitical fragmentation. He added that the conference helps bridge different policy communities while promoting greater understanding among allies on shared security challenges.
Akıllı also said Türkiye has consistently advocated peace, diplomacy, international law and a humanitarian-centered foreign policy, stressing that these principles have shaped the country's international engagement for decades. He said platforms like Allies in Ankara provide an opportunity to communicate that vision to global audiences while encouraging closer cooperation within the Alliance.
Hüseyin Arslan, a SETA researcher specializing in Turkish political history, political movements and political parties, said the forum reflected NATO's multidimensional nature by expanding discussions beyond military affairs to include broader diplomatic and strategic issues.
According to Arslan, the forum was designed to facilitate in-depth discussions among experts rather than broad public debates, creating a space where participants could assess current geopolitical developments while exploring future security dynamics through diverse perspectives.
He also noted that the program attracted strong participation, with multiple conference halls hosting parallel sessions over two days. While an exact attendance figure was difficult to determine because the schedule continued to evolve, he said the large number of events and participants, along with extensive networking opportunities throughout the venue, demonstrated the forum's broad international engagement.
