The panel titled “Towards the Ankara NATO Summit & The Southern Flank” was organised in Rome by our Directorate of Communications in cooperation with The Istituto Affari Internazionali (I.A.I),
Ahead of the Extraordinary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government scheduled to take place in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026, the Directorate of Communications has been organising NATO-themed events in major capitals worldwide. The first in this series of programmes, carried out in cooperation with think tanks in the countries concerned, was held in Madrid on 3–4 March 2026; the second in Paris on 11 March 2026; the third in London on 18–19 March 2026; the fourth in Warsaw on 11 May 2026; and the fifth in Washington on 14 May 2026.
The sixth leg of the programme series was held on 20 May 2026 in Rome, in cooperation with the Istituto Affari Internazionali (I.A.I). At the panel entitled “Towards the Ankara NATO Summit & The Southern Flank", moderated by Dr. Maria Luisa Fantappié, Head of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa Programme at I.A.I., and Dr. Alessandro Marrone, Head of the Defence, Security and Space Programme at I.A.I., distinguished speakers shared their assessments, namely Ambassador Akif Çağatay Kılıç, Chief Foreign Policy and Security Adviser to the President; Ambassador Prof Çağrı Erhan, Chief Adviser to the President and Deputy Chair of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policy Council; and Prof Kılıç Buğra Kanat, Member of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policy Council.
Elif Çomoğlu Ülger, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Rome; Prof Fahrettin Altun, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to the Holy See; Rashad Aslanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Rome; as well as numerous other distinguished guests attended the panel.
At the panel, the changes in the international system and the challenges faced ahead of the Ankara Summit, NATO’s stance during the Russia-Ukraine War and the current situation on its southern flank, NATO’s future, the Security Action for Europe (SAFE), the latest situation in Palestine and Iran, and other regional developments were discussed.
