Under the coordination of the Directorate of Communications, a panel titled “NATO and Türkiye in a Changing Security Environment: Adaptation, Cooperation and Future Perspectives” was held at the NATO Defence College in Rome.
Ahead of the Extraordinary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government scheduled to take place in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026, the Presidency's 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 through two separate events. The programme began with a panel titled “Towards the Ankara NATO Summit & The Southern Flank” organised in cooperation with The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). In the second part of the programme, a panel titled “NATO and Türkiye in a Changing Security Environment: Adaptation, Cooperation and Future Perspectives” was held at the NATO Defence College (NDC), the North Atlantic Alliance’s Rome-based institution, under the coordination of the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications and the Embassy of Türkiye in Rome.
Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Council, Ambassador Prof Dr Çağrı Erhan; Member of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Council, Prof Dr Kılıç Buğra Kanat; and Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Rome, Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, visited the College as part of the programme. The delegation was welcomed at the entrance by Danish Lieutenant General Max A.L.T. Nielsen, Commandant of the NATO Defence College (NDC). After signing the NDC Honour Book, Erhan held a private meeting with Lieutenant General Nielsen prior to the panel.
In his opening remarks, Lieutenant General Nielsen stated that they attach great importance to the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara in July and are eagerly looking forward to it. Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Rome, Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, underlined that the contacts made by the Presidential delegation in NATO capitals are valuable for raising awareness ahead of the Ankara Summit and for conveying the priorities of both Türkiye and NATO to allies.
The panel comprehensively addressed Türkiye’s strategic role within the current global security environment. Türkiye’s diplomatic mediation efforts at the outset of the Russia–Ukraine war, its contributions to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, its support for security in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, as well as its defence industry cooperation with Italy and Spain, were among the prominent topics discussed. Certain exclusionary approaches adopted by the European Union towards Türkiye were also touched upon. It was noted that Türkiye’s contributions within NATO, burden-sharing among allies, solidarity, and cooperation in the defence industry would be among the main agenda items of the Ankara Summit.
