NATO Leaders and South Korean President to Meet in Ankara on July 7-8

NATO leaders from all 32 member states will convene in Ankara on July 7-8. Turkey has deployed tens of thousands of police, placed air defenses on high alert, and banned public gatherings to secure the event. Additional steps include restrictions on demonstrations, concerts, and graduation ceremonies, along with leave for nonessential state employees.

Security units have detained more than 200 people suspected of links to extremist groups. A court blocked access to websites critical of NATO, and several journalists from opposition media were denied accreditation. Turkey converted a former military airfield into a new VIP airport to host the leaders.

The facility will remain restricted to official use after the summit. Facades along the airport route were painted as part of city preparations. Turkey has been a NATO member since 1952 and maintains the alliance’s second-largest army.

It has acted independently at times, including by purchasing Russian missile defense systems that led to its 2019 expulsion from the F-35 program, and by delaying Finland and Sweden’s membership until concessions were secured. An anti-NATO protest occurred in Istanbul on June 27.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Turkey as a reliable ally on NATO’s southeastern flank and said the summit would stand as a reference point in the alliance’s history.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not have attended except for the fact that the meeting was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan. Fatih Ceylan, a former Turkish ambassador to NATO, said the important aspect is the extent to which any rift between the United States and Europe can be narrowed.